Must Never Be Told
by Mister Why
Summary: The Doctor, in the TARDIS. Continuing his never ending journey throughout the universe, taking his friends on a whirlwind adventure with him. Follow a future incarnation's travels with new and old friends; starting with his beginning. FutureDoctor, first in a series.
1. Prologue: Regeneration

**Hi Guys! You don't know me, but whatever. **

**Been playing with this story idea for a while, and have only just got around to posting this in light of the ever shrinking countdown to the 50****th**** Episode. A few chapters have been written out, but only going to give you this for the moment (mainly to give me more time to write it). **

**In-story note: The Doctor featured in this story is not the Twelfth, but a future incarnation who shall remain unnumbered. **

**Out-of-story note: Doctor Who is property of the BBC, I do not own any concepts in this story apart from original characters. All references will probably belong to them as well. **

**Hope you enjoy, and please review!**

_**-Timing Malfunction-**_

_**-Instigating Automatic Landing Procedures- **_

The console room lurched as its only occupant fought to keep the ship going. Smoke was starting to flow out of the controls in great clouds, combining in an attempt to stop the Time Lord completing this mission. Air thickened with the great fog of chemicals and carcinogens, little hindrance to him, but for brief seconds he would be overcome by an all-consuming wave of sickness.

It was starting.

He had been too foolish this time, or too kind. To save a world by moving it across the cosmos single-handedly, it had cost him a life. The strain of doing the job designed for six pilots, along with the damage to the TARDIS's engines and the radiation spikes that had seeped in, he knew his time was at an end.

"Time for another man to take my place." He muttered to himself, watching as the veins on the back of his hand started to glow, gold like the stars of his long-gone home.

A final wave, a flick of a lever and a crash to the floor, he felt the TARDIS begin a descent to the safest place he knew. Where the chances of discovery and conflict before his next life could stabilise were so slim, they were hardly worth mentioning. Of course, that rarely happened.

The churning of the rotor stopped. The floor gave a final lurch, and smoke ceased to rise.

"Well, here goes nothing." The Doctor sighed, before leaping up to face his beloved ship, opening his arms and giving a yell as the energy began to pour like a Midas light from his limbs.

His regeneration shook his mind, tore it apart, died a hundred times as his skin burnt into a fresh appearance. He was reduced to stem cells and then born into a new body, new mind, and new soul. All the men that could have been, that still could be, flicked across his face. Not one had any greater chance of being than another. So much possibility. Born of pain and heroism, wary but enthusiastic to see all there was to see. He would never change at heart. Whoever he became now would still be the wide-eyed, lonely, compassionate man. It was almost comfort in the hell of rebirth.

It ceased as quickly as it had started. The Last of the Time Lords looked on his smouldering TARDIS, fresh, old eyes coming to see a new way. It took him seven seconds to judge his situation, undercooked as he was.

"We're in a pickle, aren't we my dear?" The New Doctor said, his first words, defining himself anew.

He quickly came to the realisation that his current surroundings may be dangerous. Chemical fog, multiple fires and sparking components seemed like possible mortal threats to him. A coward he was not, but he could feel the push of the TARDIS telling him to leave he ruin. Walking on jelly legs, he sprung surprisingly quickly across the console room to the door, picking up his old blazer as he went.

"Be back soon sweetie!" He called behind him, feeling the door click and lock automatically as the TARDIS began to self-repair and change the desktop. Taking a few steps out into a field, he saw the first sunrise of this body, excitedly, if wistfully saying: "Let's see what kind of person I am now."

Inside the now dark console room; the cracked, flickering screen read an unnoticed message.

_**-Current Destination: England, Sol 3, Sol. 05:27:56, Friday, Twenty-Third, May, 2014 Local Time-**_

_**-DANGER-**_

_**-Class One Life Form-**_


	2. The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 1)

**Hi Guys! **

**Updating this earlier than I expected, but that's a first. Never been early for anything. **

**These are the only two completed chapters I have (that just happen to be in chronological order), so I hand them now over to the public of fanfiction ****[Insert handing over ceremony] ****and I hope you enjoy what's here.**

**Thanks to any readers who have taken the time to peruse the prologue, eagerly anticipating any reviews or corrections (of which there could be a few to make).**

**Happy Hallowe'en! **

**The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 1)**

Kate meandered slowly over the hill, keeping half a careful eye on her dog. The weak morning sunlight washed over her, illuminating the woods but leaving the air still cool. It was one of those sensations that made her enjoy life. The freshness of a new day, calm before the business of routine took hold.

Liz, her clumsy collie, trotted happily ahead of her through the brush with her nose to the ground. She sneezed on occasion when she found something irritable, but was otherwise happy.

The forest floor beneath them was damp, and smelt earthy as a result. Age old trees clustered together in spots and the view past them, over the great plains of Cheshire, was stunning in the early morning. Mist hung loosely over some of the fields. The village of Ridge Nook was completely still below. A loose collection of houses, with the small church and plenty of farmland. The kind of place that was completely tranquil. And incredibly boring.

Well, when there wasn't a 'Werewolf' about.

For the past few weeks, cattle had been disappearing from the fields and reappearing, in shreds, just outside the village. Towards this very hill.

No one had really noticed at first. Not even the farmer, but he was notoriously lazy with crazy eyebrows. It was only the hikers who had found them, in tattered heaps of flesh, leaning on a fence that divided the fields from the paths. The sight and the stories had caused quite a stir, causing this legend of a 'Werewolf' to start.

Kate liked to believe it was supernatural, but it certainly wasn't a werewolf. She knew Werewolves appeared in completely different circumstances.

That was part of her reasoning for coming up the hill this early. She wanted to see it for herself, if it was anything at all. After all, some people could play very sick jokes.

Keeping to the ledge, Kate kept her eyes fixed on the woods, trying to spot any creatures that could be classed as 'weird' or 'cool'. Most creatures fell under 'cool'. But that was beside the point. Anything coming back from a hunt would come this way, up the narrower but gentler incline and then out into the trees. And Kate had reasoned further that the cave at the end of the path would be a suitable dwelling for any creature that ate whole cows for dinner.

The damp rock gave way slightly beneath her, causing her to stumble. She instinctively knelt down, leaning to her left to take the weight off of her bad leg. Liz came up to her in mild worry, poking the sore limb with her snout gently.

"Don't worry." Kate said quietly. "Nothing's broken."

Gently standing again, she limped forward for the next half mile with Liz beside, before eventually coming to her intended destination. The path was slippery and marred by roots, making it slightly more dangerous. But it was better in the light, and Kate was glad her mother had talked her out of going in the dark.

The cave itself was masked by a small collection of holly bushes, almost a deterrent to entering the place. It was worth noting, as Kate saw, that the bushes were more squashed, as if something regularly pushed them out of the way. Something big.

Easing her way past them, with an arm in front of her face, Kate looked at the entrance. It was dark inside, as it went down a short drop and then back further. A smell of raw flesh and adventure emanated from below.

Holding onto a branch, Kate lowered herself precariously to peak further in while sliding a torch out of her pocket. The dim beam cast an eerie glow on the rock it lit up. As it roved around the walls and floor, Kate found increasing evidence for the creature. There was the odd strip of skin, some bones in a small pile to the side and a collection of leaves in the centre

"It's a nest." Kate observed aloud.

A soft growling started. It was like the playful warning a dog would give when holding onto a pull toy, but without the affection. More menacing that anything growling viciously, the sound was almost sadistic. Almost like whatever was growling was eager.

It was at this point Kate decided it was best to lean out of the cave. Righting herself, she slowly backed away, stopping momentarily when she heard the scratching of claws on stone. Liz began whimpering, before hightailing it back along the path and deserting Kate. Whatever was in there overrode the dog's loyalty.

Slowly moving back around the holly bushes, she watched as something grey and bear-like poked its head out of the cave. It lazily cast yellow eyes over its surroundings and gave a great sniff. The creature turned to face her through the leaves.

They stared at each other, Kate trying to size it up, the creature determining whether she was prey. A front paw was raised to push back the bushes when barking started from above. Kate broke the eye-contact to look up, finding Liz bravely trying to scare the creature into submission from a safe spot above the mouth of the cave.

Miraculously, it worked. The creature backed away into the cave once more, giving Kate the more than obvious clue to run back down the slippery path.

It was stupid to do, but the adrenaline rush gave her enough grace to dodge the roots and stay purchased on the ledge until she was safely back on the main path. Soon, the pain in her leg returned, as did Liz, catching her up swiftly and slowing down, turning back to check for danger.

"It's alright now." Kate assured, patting the dog on the head. "No werebears coming after us."

With one question answered and many more brimming in her mind, Kate limped back to her house, excited to tell her mother of this escapade.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she barely noticed the arrival of a Police Box in the next field.


	3. The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 2)

**The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 2)**

It was no surprise to Kate that her mother was up and about this early in the morning. She regularly got up at the crack of dawn to get household chores done and tend to the horses. Once the gate was closed and Liz was off her lead, Kate went to help her, still limping.

"Hi Mum." She said leaning on the stable door as her mother was finishing up.

"Hello sweetheart." Her mother called back. "Happy hunting?"

Kate wasn't quite sure what to say about her encounter with the beast. Her mother would take an interest; she was the one who inspired her to the supernatural. But would she believe Kate's story with the 'Werebear', as she was now dubbing it? It could have just as easily been a prank, but the more obvious thing to do was disguise a dog. Her mother would believe her.

"It was fun. Had an encounter with a monster." Kate said. "I don't think it's a Werewolf."

Whereas most parents would think their child mad or kindly dispute their claim of a monster, Sally Dennis looked at her daughter surprised.

"But the Werewolf made so much sense." She commented, leaving the cleaned out stable to talk. "What do you make it to be then, hmm?" She drew out her hum of questioning in an almost comical fashion.

"It looked more like a bear." Kate replied, confidently. "Except grey and much bigger. And it still looked like that in the light, so it's nothing to do with the moon." As she thought back, she found herself questioning even more. Earlier, a 'werebear' seemed much the fitting name. But obviously that didn't exist, whether you believed in the supernatural or not. And the presence of a nest was also something that confused her further.

Bears don't sleep in nest. Bears aren't found in this country either.

"Well, whatever it is, I know a girl who can solve it." Her mother said, closing the stable behind her. "She's a little short. But nothing stops her."

Kate smiled at that. After the accident, she'd needed the odd confidence boost. Everyone used to give them to her, drop them into conversation just to keep her smiling, but very few did it now. It had been years since then. While being treated like that would often make a young woman proud and vain or overly dependent; In Kate, it had only given her an appreciation for the people in her life.

"Thanks mum. What's the plan for today?" Kate asked, embarrassed by the statement.

"There's one lesson at three, and May's coming for dinner later. Otherwise, we're free to do as we like." She answered.

On the other side of the field, Liz started barking.

"What has that dog found this time?" Kate's mother laughed, looking across to the source of the noise. "She sounds near panicked."

As the two stared at the edge of the fields, their smiles slowly faded as they saw Liz sprinting across the grounds. There was no curiosity or fun in her eyes. Only the most terrible fear shone from her face.

Before either of them had a chance to question, a mighty roar interrupted the pastoral silence. From out of the background, Kate saw the Werebear crash through the hedges surrounding the garden. It strode with malice, stomping into the ground with such force enough leave prints. The speed with which it moved was slow in comparison to the rush of Liz, but from what Kate could tell, it was only impeded by the sheer mass of muscle on it. And it was angry.

"Kate, is that your Werebear?" Her mother asked.

"Yep." Kate replied, mesmerised by the lolloping grace.

"Right. I think we should get in the house." She suggested.

"Probably for the best." Kate agreed, slowly stepping back towards the front door.

The pair turned on cue, racing back to the safety of the house. Naturally, Kate was slower. Unlike the Werebear, she wasn't impaired by the weight of muscle. It was how heavy her bones felt. She stumbled near the stables and fell down. The pain emanating from her shin prevented her from getting up again.

Like any good dog, Liz twisted around once she reached Kate. Parking herself, she stood defensively between her owner and the monster in an attempt to stare it down. Unsurprisingly, the Werebear was unfamiliar with canine customs, carrying on its path.

Kate struggled to get up, or at least stand comfortably. She now hobbled over to the door, her mother rushing back to help her. The Werebear all the while made its way to the fence of the stables, knocking them down with ease and closing the distance. Liz deserted her stance, conceding space to the creature.

Just as it was to reach them; it stopped. The hulking Werebear, easily three times Kate's height, stared down at them. It seemed to be studying them, staring at them with those yellow eyes. Kate, her mother and Liz stared back, paralysed in anticipation. The Werebear leant down and took in a great lungful of air via its nose before rearing back.

Liz started barking again, taking a defensive position once more but still quivering in fear. In response, the Werebear roared back, shocking the dog and sending it running a safe distance away.

It then went on to repeat its movements; staring and sniffing. There was more certainty in the actions this time, a quality Kate hadn't realised was lacking before. It was surer of itself.

With a delicate reach, it gently pushed Kate's mother away from her. When she tried to rebel, it just sent her back with more force, insisting her to stay back. Kate now alone before the beast, it leant in to sniff her one final time, before it stood at full height and raised its paw, high above its head.

Kate watched it, and as the paw, now bearing claws of significant length, came down she closed her eyes; readying herself.

However, while blinded, she heard a frantic crunching of gravel before hearing a powerful slam in front of her. She half suspected someone had driven a car into the Werebear, but ruled that out for lack of an engine. Opening her eyes, she found the preposterous awaiting her gaze.

Sprawled before her was the Werebear, lying on its side and desperately convulsing to regain its feet. As it did so, it now swiped at something further from the house than she was. Between movements, when her line a sight was clear, she could make out her rescuer.

A man danced around the paws of the Werebear, grim determination set in his eyes. He looked half mad, by his appearance and the way he fought the creature. His clothes seemed too torn and too loose to be casual bear fighting wear; seeing as the beast had barely struck him. The trousers were too long in the leg for him and his dress shirt billowed around. When he kicked the Werebear further away from Kate, she could see his shoes were barely staying in one piece. The only relatively clean thing on him was the bottle green blazer hanging around his large shirt. Even that looked worn, fraying slightly at the cuffs and collar. Surely, a mad man. Or a tramp. Kate preferred 'madman', given the circumstances.

The pair were slowly moving further off towards the stables; Werebear doing the swiping and madman doing the retreat. She watched him stride back confidently, keeping all his attention on the bizarre attacker. One downwards strike almost caught him, but his response made Kate ashamed she hadn't realised this before. He was incredibly strong. Not 'strong' as in lifting a surprisingly heavy weight; but the ludicrous strength of a superhero. The bear, who had so far left a path of destruction behind it and flicked a woman back with no great effort, was having considerable trouble as it pressed down on the madman's forearms. He was crouched, and appeared to struggle, but was relentless in his defence.

Groaning, the Werebear reared back onto its hind legs, imposing over the defiant defender as he got back to his feet. A high noon standoff developed between the two. The silence was tension ridden, waiting for one of them to crack and attack first.

It was the Werebear that eventually did so. With a much greater speed then previously displayed, it lunged forward; paw curled in a rudimentary fist. It took the madman by surprise, leaving him with little reaction time and promptly sending him flying back. He hit the wall of the barn; a sizeable crack left by his impact and a sickening snap sounded as he slumped down unconscious.

Seemingly unhappy, the Werebear gave a snort and lolloped over to him; nudging him to rollover. Once secure in the knowledge he was no longer an adversary, it turned back towards Kate with less menace than it previously had, but no loss of resolution.

By this time, Kate was back on her feet. Readying herself once again she took a different approach: rather than awaiting the attack, she ran (or, with her leg, hobbled) at the bear. A random act of certain death, she was well aware. The cry of her mother helped remind her of that. However, the life of the man who had just saved her was in the balance, and she would be damned if she didn't repay him.

The Werebear was caught off-guard by this sudden display of courage, although it did not back down from this smaller, weaker threat. It did take more time to meet her, which was noticeable; as if it thought it would save effort from the shorter journey. About to meet, the Werebear reared to give its death stroke. However, this gave Kate just the chance she needed, as she dived underneath and between its legs.

This seemed to confuse it greatly. Above her, she could hear the rustling movement of fur as the Werebear moved. It soon leant back down, covering Kate completely from its sight; hiding at the rear end. While it moved its head from side to side, she crawled quickly away, towards a stable door.

Behind her, she could hear the Werebear turn about as it located, and began a slow chase in pursuit. Close on her tail, Kate moved around the madman, who was quite still by this point, to reach the lock. Releasing it quickly, and flinging open the door, Kate had never quite been so pleased to see a horse's arse. As the Werebear closed on her, she made her winning move; slapping the horse powerfully on the thigh.

The response was as Kate had hoped: startled, the horse leapt backwards and gave a strong, swift kick that was timed perfectly to make contact with the Werebear. In the meantime, Kate rolled quite safely away towards the madman.

Now dazed, the Werebear stumbled away from the horse, losing its coordination. The powerful legs struck down into the gravel, moving ever closer towards Kate and the madman. Worrying for their safety, Kate made to drag him away as it neared, but was shocked to see him sit up. Any idea of a broken back was wiped from Kate's mind as she saw him spit a golden light from his mouth, which travelled with such force into the Werebear it stumbled in the opposite direction.

Regaining its senses, the Werebear gave a last look towards Kate and the madman before starting a terribly slow journey back through the fields to its cave.

It was now that Liz started barking again.

In shock; Kate looked to the madman, who sat there with a mild surprise etched over his face, and said the only word that came to mind: "Thanks."

The madman jumped slightly, seemingly more stunned by her presence than what had just transpired. He turned to her, bewildered, before offering his hand.

"I'm the Doctor. May I have a cup of tea?" He said, in a voice sounding reminiscent of an upper class gentleman despite the clownish proportion of his clothes.

Unsure of what to do, Kate took his hand and shook it firmly.

"Yes. Yes, of course." She answered, not too certain of his sanity.

"Thank you." He smiled.

Then he slumped back to the ground, asleep.


	4. The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 3)

**Another chapter. Hoorah! **

**As always, I hope you enjoy. Some more of my Doctor will be explored here, and if you have any suggestions for development of him or any of my other characters please say. I have a rough idea of where I'm going, but I'd love to hear what you think.**

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who is not mine, unfortunately. Any characters, places or concepts that aren't original to this story are property of the BBC.**

**The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 3)**

The Doctor awoke hours later, dazed and in panic.

"Ursaform!" He whispered, leaping to his feet and looking around him warily. Casting suspicious glances from side to side, looking out for his oversized enemy while he still had enough energy to fight it, he hadn't realised the change in his environment.

Whereas mere seconds ago he had been lying in a rather uncomfortable yard, the Doctor was now stood at attention in a bedroom, wrapped in blankets and pyjamas that certainly weren't his. He noted the room was rather plain with little furniture. Besides the bed, there was a wardrobe, a mirror, a few books and a pot of tea sitting on a bedside table.

That was good. Tea was good. Without thinking, he jumped down to the floor, took the tea pot and drank straight from it. It was cold, maybe slightly bitter, but it didn't matter. That would stabilise him for a good few hours. Maybe he'd even think clearly for some of it.

Next order of business; his face.

Stumbling to the mirror, he took his first look at this body properly. His hair was longer, lighter than it had been previously. The nose was a minor improvement. It was a Rory-nose. He'd be able to smell better. Teeth, teeth were fine. Still there. Mouth was smaller, but the motor functions were good. He thanked the stars he'd still be able to talk. Eyes, eyes, eyes. Brown, blue, brown, blue. They'd make their mind up eventually. And his ears; hidden under his hair. Weird. Very weird. Not completely rounded. But hidden, an upside to him.

"Not bad at all." He concluded. "Could get to like this."

Taking a step back, he looked more at his stance. He was definitely shorter than before. Much shorter. Or had the last one been a giant? Never spent much time with humans to compare. Correct number of limbs, bonus. Head, shoulders, knees, toes.

Good as new. All he needed now was to pop back to the TARDIS for some new clothes and that he'd be fine.

The TARDIS! Spinning around, the Doctor frantically searched his pockets, before moving on to the wardrobe when he realised that was pointless. The wardrobe was also a disappointment. His blazer, his blazer, his blazer. And his trousers, but most of his things were in his blazer, TARDIS key included. Where was it?

Still holding a blanket, he raced out of the room and onto a fairly well furnished landing. Lots of photos and dressers and more mirrors. He almost jumped in surprise every time he saw the new face. But still no sign of his blazer. Without the key, he had no hope of getting back in. No hope at all. Well he could always click, but the TARDIS possibly would not recognise him. She was as addled as he was, after all.

Growing increasingly worried, he ran down the stairs, finding his footing was a great deal softer on the wooden panels. It was near silent. Another bonus.

As he crossed the hallway, he sighed in relief upon spotting a familiar bottle green jacket hanging besides the front door. His pockets were still full, and the TARDIS key was glowing happily in recognition of completion. Now he could sneak out, back to his home and leave these people be. They didn't need the chaos he brought. They could live in peace; with their horses and dog and the Ursaform. As long as they left it alone, it wouldn't bother them. It would be too busy trying to hunt the Doctor, and he almost chuckled at the thought.

No one need know he was ever here.

"You're awake." Came a voice from a nearby doorway. "How are you feeling?"

The Doctor turned to face the source, immediately recognising her as the girl from earlier. She was remarkably calm for someone who had been attacked by an extra-terrestrial bear. Obviously the adventurous sort. She was small, even from his now shorter perspective, and couldn't have been older than twenty-five. Her hair was darker than his, although it probably would've been a similar shade had he met her two days ago. A much better nose than his.

The eyes though. The eyes were another story. Qualities he recognised shone in them; determination, bravery, a yearning for freedom. But a darkness lay there as well, an uncertainty. Fear. Pain. These were the eyes of a dreamer, someone who would break the chains of everyday life if given the chance. And it terrified him.

"Yes." The Doctor said, unsure of how to deal with her. "Very good, thank you."

She quirked her head, smiling at his puzzlement.

"No back injuries?" She asked. "You took one hell of a smack earlier."

Almost instinctively, he felt his back. He knew there would be no injury, but you could never be certain with regeneration. Cases of deformed skeletons were not unheard of, especially in later incarnations.

"No, no, not as such. Nothing of any concern." He replied, more for his benefit than hers.

"That's good, we were worried we'd have to take you to A&E. Don't know how well that would have gone given your whole two hearts deal." She commented, nonchalantly.

The Doctor snapped up at this, somewhere between a pleasant surprise and outright shock. The sudden need to run away surfaced. "How do you know about that?"

"We checked your heart after you collapsed. And after struggling to locate it, during which we thought you might be dead, we discovered your heartbeat comes from both sides of your chest." Her smile fell into mock seriousness. "Of course, you saying that only confirms it. May have to call the government in."

"In that case, I'll be off, thanks for the tea." He answered, shrugging on his blazer and heading to the door. "Wherever you found the Ursaform, avoid there. It'll just come after you again."

"Ursaform?" His soon to be ex-host repeated. "The big Werebear? You're going to leave it out there in the hills?"

"Yes, yes, yes." He answered, turning on the spot. "It won't be any harm to anyone, and it'll stay out of the way for the most part."

"But we have things to talk about." She insisted. "What is it? Where is it from? Who are you? What are you? Where are you from?"

"I'd suggest you breathe between questions." The Doctor commented, turning back to the door. "And tell you what, since you gave me tea, if I ever see you again I will answer. Thanks again, hope you have a long and prosperous life."

With that, the Doctor left the house, dropping the blanket and leaning more into the comically oversized blazer. He almost lamented over the fact it used to fit perfectly. Green may not have been his colour anymore, but he still really liked it.

As for his host, he was sorry for his rudeness. She'd been curious, and he couldn't blame her for wanting to know why he had two hearts. But he had indulged the curiosity of too many like her, and he regretted every single ending for them. Even the happy ones. They were all because of his intervention.

But he had never wanted to be alone when he regenerated.

A part of him hoped he would run into her again one day. Maybe when she was old. Return the pyjamas and explain himself. That would be a nice story.

Trudging across the yard, he felt the cold of night engulf him. Naturally, his body temperature would roughly match that of his surroundings, but his regeneration was still causing havoc. It would all be over soon. Back to gallivanting the cosmos.

"Excuse me?" A rough voice sounded from an even rougher man who waddled into the Doctor's path.

"Yes, yes. What is it?" The Doctor replied, wanting more and more to reach the TARDIS.

This man was stout and rather large towards the middle. Very thickset arms and legs, and the jaw of a bloke who enjoyed his food. He had a pair of cracking eyebrows; big, bushy and almost overly brown. And the Doctor didn't want to get started on the warts that speckled his face.

"Do you know what's made all this mess?" He questioned, waving his arms towards the carnage of the nearby fields. "My hedges have been torn from the roots, and I daren't speak about my crops."

"A very big thing, Mr…?" The Doctor enquired.

"Mr Grig. I'm the farmer of this here village." Mr Grig answered proudly. Almost overly proud.

"Yes, Mr Grig. A very big something, say a bear, has made its way through your land to attack some rather nice people." He elaborated for Grig's sake. "In fact, the people whose garden we're currently standing in."

"Pogwash!" Grig exclaimed, shifting his eye line nervously, like he expected a big something to attack him. "I doubt the Dennis' would tell me the same story if I asked them. The young lady, Kate, won't give anything as fact without the proof. And I was on my way when I ran into you! Who are you anyway?"

The Doctor sighed. "A person of no real significance here. I'm just passing through. Now I'm going to carry on my way, and you can ask the Dennis' if you so wish. Have a nice night Mr Grig."

"Nice pyjamas." Grig said as they parted ways.

Annoyance fumed through the Doctor, unwelcome to him. He was going to be an annoyed person now. It annoyed him when he was the easily annoyed type. And Mr Grig. He was annoying. Why would he stop a stranger when he could ask his neighbours? Sometimes humans escaped his understanding.

The TARDIS came into sight as he passed through the helpful gap in the hedge left by the Ursaform. He felt himself relax the closer he got to the doors. The Doctor in the TARDIS. Continuing the journey. Hopefully it wouldn't end before he wanted it to. These days, he was wondering just what to see next.

Slotting the key into the lock, he was unhappy to find it unwilling to move. No matter how much he twisted it, it wouldn't turn. With a huff of indignation, he stepped back and clicked his fingers, looking expectantly at the door. Still nothing. Obviously the TARDIS was trying to tell him something.

"What do you want?" The Doctor asked, feeling partly betrayed. "We can leave, vamoose. Come on."

The TARDIS just stood there, seemingly looming over him in disapproval.

"The Ursaform will be fine. We'll come back for it another time." He argued, starting to hop from foot to foot in an effort to stay warm. "I'd quite like to know who I am before I do any random acts of kindness."

Ridiculous as it was, he felt scolded by his home. There must have been something important if the TARDIS was willing to lock him out. In pyjamas of all things.

"What is it?" He insisted. "Is it the girl? Do you want me to apologise? I say, you're almost as infuriating as Grig."

Realisation hit the Doctor at the mention. Mr Grig was too weird looking to be human. Why it hadn't hit him sooner, he had no idea. It was all so obvious. The Ursaform, Grig, the entire farmer thing. The blatant oversize of the creature's muscles. It would take an idiot not to see it.

"Alright, I get it, but do I have to do it now?" he asked, knowing the answer. "Can't I have a change of clothes first?"

Before the words fully left his mouth, the doors swung open and a chest was flung into the Doctor. He fell back into the grass, hearing the slam of the doors. Apparently the TARDIS thought this urgent.

Getting back to his feet, he made a futile attempt to open the doors before turning to the chest that had been ejected. Opening the age worn lid, he smiled at the contents. He may not know himself yet, but the TARDIS had made a reasonable prediction to his tastes.

The Doctor changed his clothes quickly, feeling more comfortable than he had unknowingly been in his blazer. Leaving the chest besides the TARDIS, he strode confidently across the fields back to the Dennis'.

Entering the yard, he spent a moment hiding inside the open garage, taking refuge behind a surprisingly torn up and beaten car. He'd ask later.

Once he was happy Grig had gone another way, the Doctor slipped to the front door, rapping gently on the glass panes. The guilt of his earlier exit had caught up with him, and, feeling desire for making it up, he felt it was time he had a friend.

The girl came up to the door, opening it with a surprised look on her face as she took in his new clothing. Wasting no time, he carefully crossed the threshold, passed her, and into the hall.

"I never asked before. What's your name?" He asked, extending his hand.

Tentatively, she took it and shook as she answered: "Kate. Kate Dennis."

"Kate. Good." He repeated, waiting for her to close the door before going on. "That 'Werebear' is actually an Ursaform, a peaceful creature from Polaris VIII. I am the Doctor. No other name, before you ask. I am a Time Lord, from the planet Gallifrey. I live in a Police Box which is parked three fields over and I am in need of assistance. Preferably from you."

He paused, waiting for any response. Kate merely looked at him in mild amazement.

"I think that answers all your questions, but anything else before we begin tackling a Werebear?" He finished.

She stopped, seeming to think over anything she could say.

"Why did you come back?" She asked eventually.

"Why, for your startling company." The Doctor replied. "That and I realised your farmer neighbour is an Androgum."


	5. The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 4)

**Here we are again. Getting into the swing of writing.**

**This chapter will be based more in Kate's perspective, and will be slightly gory towards the end. Nothing too graphic, although if you think it warrants a change in rating then I'll revise the events and upgrade it. **

**As always, hope you enjoy. **

**The Beast of Ridge Nook (4)**

Kate looked at the Doctor quizzically. She had no doubt he was an alien; he had enough biological oddities to prove it, from his strength to the 'golden breath'. The Werebear was also a convincing alien example. But Mr Grig, the lazy, food loving farmer? No. Sure, he had enough warts to make a toad pretty, but he was as human as they came. He'd been in Ridge Nook forever. Long before the Werebear started appearing.

"Androgum." She repeated. "Right. And an Androgum is?"

The Doctor stared at her, almost out of the moment. He had a concentrated look on his face, obviously going over plans of some sort to deal with the Werebear. These plans had obviously had no effect on his choice of attire.

While he had arrived in ragged clothing, and left in her father's old pyjamas, the finery he was enrobed in changed his look considerably. In place of the grey, torn and muddy jeans were plain black, creaseless suit trousers. His boots were finely polished, casting a blurred reflection of the ceiling when she glanced at them. Instead of his billowing white dress shirt, he wore a faintly blue, smaller variant that was more fitting to him. Red ascot was visible below the undone top buttons, mildly clashing with the beiges and maroons of his silk waistcoat. It was asymmetrical in its pattern, with a Charlie Chaplin figure outlined on the right side and a fob chain draped from a button hole to a pocket. Over all of this, he had a much better looking cutaway coat rather that the green blazer. The total effect of his new clothes was that of an eccentric Victorian showman, barring the absence of a cane or top hat.

"An Androgum is not the brightest of life forms but is certainly the most pleasure driven." He explained, coming back to reality. "They're very culinary inclined, basically being intergalactic foodies."

Kate thought about that, seeing how the explanation could apply to Mr Grig. He was certainly fond of food. It was out of the ordinary to not see him at a Farm Shop in the next village. And he was missing a few key facts about the world. Facts including the human need for regular bathing.

"Okay, so what would Mr Grig, the Androgum, be doing here?" Kate asked, feeling like he was pulling at fairly general things.

"I don't know. But an Ursaform and an Androgum in an out of the way English village is hardly a coincidence." The Doctor admitted, suddenly looking out of the window in confusion. "Speaking of England, where exactly am I?"

"Ridge Nook, Cheshire." Kate answered, thinking it best to just go with it. The Doctor had either taken more brain damage than back damage earlier or he was truly clueless about his current circumstance.

The Doctor looked delighted at the news. "Cheshire. That's new. Never been to Cheshire. It's nice out there for- what? Early February?"

"May." Kate clarified.

"May?!" He said, shocked. "Now I know why I avoid the north. Your weather is horrible."

"Doctor, you were talking about Ursaforms and Androgums?" She reminded. He was varying between impressive confidence and bumbling ideas.

Grig being an Androgum would make relative sense. But the Doctor had no proof, and no explanation towards what he was doing in Ridge Nook with a Werebear.

He stepped back from the window, grumbling questions along the lines of 'Why aren't I in San Francisco?' and turned back to face her. "Yes, quite right-."

"Kate? Who is it?" Kate heard her mother call from the kitchen, wandering through to have a look. She'd forgotten her mother was nearby.

"It's the- you know, the alien." Kate said, trying to avoid offending him. She didn't know the correct terms and he hadn't reacted well to her earlier government comment.

Her mother stared at the previously comatose man, probably coming to the same conclusions about his clothing as Kate.

"Hello, the Doctor, nice to meet you." The Doctor said, obviously wanting to get back on track before he was distracted by the weather again.

"Sally, wonderful to see you up and about." Her mother replied, shaking his hand. "And are you really…?"

"Yes, yes I am an alien." He said, looking back out of the window. "And I'm on the tail of two more. Tell me, what did Mr Grig say when he called round?"

"I beg your pardon?" Her mother said.

"Mr Grig." The Doctor repeated. "I ran into him. In your garden. He said he was trying to find out what happened earlier with the Ursaform. And then when he didn't believe me he said he was asking you."

"Doctor, you're the only person that's been here today." Kate said, confused. "I mean, one of my friends was meant to be coming for dinner, but with the Werebear…"

"Why would he only ask me?" He mused.

Kate's mother was looking between the two in puzzlement. "I'm sorry, what has Mr Grig got to do with the aliens?"

"He's a space foodie, apparently." Kate said, feeling the conversation going in circles now.

"An Androgum of the Hanzine Grig, judging by his eyebrows. But what's he doing alone? How long has he been breeding Ursaforms?" The Doctor was in his own world now, seeking answers in the dark outside.

"He was here long before the Were- Ursaform." Kate contributed. "He's been a part of the community. He helped pull me out of the wreckage."

This last part come out mumbled and quiet, but Kate was sure the Doctor heard. His oddly shaped ears twitched up and he moved his gaze to the stables and the garage. There was something going on in his head. And Kate got the distinct feeling he wasn't just thinking about the Ursaform and the Androgum anymore.

"So he's been here five years at least, judging by how you manage your limp." He commented, with eerie knowledge of the accident. "Given the limp is a result of that car crash."

Kate and her mother stood still at that. Very few outside of their friends and family knew about the crash. They'd always said Kate's limp was a sporting accident, hockey. The Doctor had no way and no right of assuming that information.

"How do you know about the crash?" Kate asked, quietly.

"I saw the remains of car in the garage. Get a better door." He didn't say it with his short, annoyed demeanour, but with a great compassion. There was a sadness and an understanding. He'd seen a similar horror in his past. "So he's been here five years. And how recent have the Ursaform attacks been?"

Kate swallowed down the lump in her throat that had formed at the memory. "The Ursaform has been around six months or so. It hasn't attacked anything but cows. Excluding us of course."

"Why did it attack Kate?" Her mother asked, also steering away from the memories. She hadn't had a better time of it than Kate.

"I don't know. They're peaceful, but very territorial and would only start a fight if it had felt threatened." The Doctor was more thinking aloud than talking to them. "Did you find its home?"

"I- I inspected a cave where it happened to live." Kate admitted, leaning against a nearby dresser to take the weight off of her leg.

In the other room, Liz started whimpering. No one moved. She knew the dog would come and find them in a minute.

"Right. So you'll have disturbed it. Naturally, what isn't its own is a threat, true of all creatures. Came after you, then I found it, beat it into submission with my charm, it left. Therefore, I'm the greatest threat to it." He turned to face them again, taking his watch out for no apparent reason. He didn't look at it. "So you're safe from it Kate, it'll come after me first."

Both Kate and her mother saw a flaw in his conclusion.

"I hope I'm not being rude Doctor," Kate's mother said. "But surely, if you're still here, the 'Ursaform' will come back here as well?"

"Oh no. So long as it doesn't smell me, and it won't as long as I don't go outside, it won't find me." He explained. "Ursaforms have got great senses of smell, but luckily for us the plaster in your walls is enough to confuse it. Somehow can't get the scent through buildings."

"But you went outside not that long ago." Kate reminded him. "You went to your 'Police Box', I guess."

"Ah." The Doctor said, looking down to his watch as Liz started barking again. "In that case, the scent is strong enough to lead to your door."

As if on cue, the front door was smashed off its hinges and shattered across the Doctor's back. He stumbled, but did not fall. Instead, he turned to face the Usraform that was reaching through the door towards him. One side of its face was bruised, a mark from the horse trick, Kate realised. That factor didn't seem to improve its mood.

The doorway began to strain against the force of the Ursaform, unrelenting in the attempts to reach the Doctor. It was snarling at him, and he seemed more preoccupied looking out of the window.

"Kate?" He said. "Sally? Could one of you please pass me your mobile?"

Hesitantly, Kate shuffled forward slightly, slipping her phone into his outstretched hand. She didn't move back afterwards. She was too in awe.

Before, when it had been attacking her, the Ursaform was terrifying, while it had also been terrified. Now it didn't seem quite nearly as so. The Doctor, while having fought it and won before, didn't seem to scare it as much as she did. When it looked at Kate, there was a greater panic.

"Okay Doctor. Why don't you use your super strength?" Kate asked.

The Doctor, who had been typing into her phone before, looked up. Not at her, mind, but back out the window besides the door.

"Super strength?" He asked. "I'm a Time Lord, not Kryptonian."

"But you punched like Superman earlier." She exclaimed, following his gaze out of the window. The Ursaform was starting to crumble the wall, and she felt the need to pull the Doctor back a bit.

"That was regenerative residue. Has strange effects. Super charges the muscles." Whatever regeneration was, he didn't elaborate. He was too busy typing in the most ridiculous phone number Kate had ever seen.

"So no super punches?"

"Nope. Here, hold this." He passed the phone back to her. "I think we're about done."

Finally, the Ursaform broke through, leaving a bear shaped gap in the wall at it swiped towards them. The Doctor pushed Kate back as it lunged towards her, and took the scratches meant for her. He span around, face contorted in pain as a wound opened across it. It was entirely possible his cheek had been sliced open, but it was hard to make out with the flickering lights.

"How's my coat?" The Doctor asked, pressing a hand to his jaw.

Scared by the new stark realism of the threat, Kate gave him a timid thumbs-up before reaching out and applying pressure to his facial wound. She felt his blood flow between his fingers, along with a strange tingling of energy.

She dragged the Doctor back towards her mother, who had found the blanket from earlier to press to the wound. The Doctor, however, seemed resistant, insistent on continuing to look out of the window. It was a struggle to tear him away from it, until he cried in success.

The Ursaform gave a sudden snort, and pulled back in shock as it was fought back by Mr Grig, brandishing a chunkier version of a cattle prod. The bear roared in pain, but cowered off as Grig waved the weapon in its direction. After that, it seemed happy to stay at bay.

Kate was convinced. Grig was an alien. He hadn't been fazed by the Bear's appearance.

Slightly distressed, Kate marched out into the courtyard, taking the Doctor's hand and pulling him along with her. "Sort him out. Alien to alien."

It was a difficult feat to get him out, given she was still helping him press down on his wound, and they were met by an irate Grig halfway.

"Seven bloody years I've been here!" he bellowed, eyebrows scrunched into what could only be described as a forehead moustache. "Seven years it took to scout out the perfect, backwater place to raise a fine specimen like this! The market will be disappointed with the produce!"

"That's the plan?" The Doctor asked. "Raise a beautiful creature for your feasts?"

"An Ursaform is said to be the finest meat Doctor." Grig said. "And raised in the correct environment, how succulent it will be!"

"You know who I am?" The Doctor said, gently pushing Kate's hand away from his face. "I've just regenerated. No one should know me yet."

"This is one of your most famous faces." Grig smiled, lightening at mention of regeneration. Kate still had no idea what the term meant, but it was apparently important given Grig's glee. "And I have the privilege of ending it now!"

With that, the Androgum leapt forward, shoving the cattle prod into the Doctor's stomach. He cried out in pain as he was electrocuted, but shoved Kate away from himself. The power coursed through him, crackling as he convulsed. He span around when Grig released, finding Kate's eye from where she lay. It looked like he was about to give a command, but the cattle prod was then pressed into his back, continuing the torture. All he could do was stare from her to the phone that had landed beside her.

When Grig left him, the Doctor crumpled under his weight. He groaned, and reached out towards Kate, who crawled towards him under Grig's watchful eye. The Doctor's fingers twitched in hers before falling still.

"Done." Grig said, pleased with the monster he was. "The Doctor is dead."


	6. The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 5)

**Couldn't wait to get this done, so here I am, posting this one day after my last one…**

**Second to last part of **_**The Beast of Ridge Nook**_**, after which we'll see the Doctor go on his travels again with a new companion (obviously Kate). This chapter may have a few mistakes, given the time in which I've written it, but they'll all be corrected within a few days.**

**Happy reading!**

**The Beast of Ridge Nook (Part 5)**

It was quiet. Too quiet for his liking.

The Doctor opened his eyes gently, feeling a drag in that simple movement. His entire body was stiff, every muscle tightened by the electricity. Almost all sensation was lost with it. He could just make out the courtyard, the phone nearby and his outstretched hand held by Kate. All of it blurry, not quite in focus.

He needed to get the phone. The phone would be his winning move. Get the phone, and it would be done. That was what he was reaching for. Kate had misinterpreted, the phone was what he needed. Well; that and working limbs, but he could feel the regenerative residue starting to do its work. He considered himself lucky he hadn't burnt it all up yet. It wouldn't do to regenerate twice in one day.

His hearing slowly came back. The muffled words started to make more sense to his pained nerves.

"Why… ki… im?" He heard Kate say, gripping his supposedly dead hand in horror.

"…'s dangero… So ve… dangerous… dear." Grig replied, his boots appearing in the Doctor's vision.

Kate stared down at the Doctor, looking for any sign of life. He would've liked to tell her he wasn't dead, but his mouth was being very uncooperative. How very annoying.

"How?" She asked, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion. He assumed it was a response to his healing face, which he could feel stitching itself back together. There was no longer an unpleasant breeze on the sensitive flesh.

"Destr… Worlds. As him… war… leyard." Grig answered, his words still lost to the Doctor in areas. "Lea… him now."

Grig reached out to Kate, obviously intending to take her away from the Doctor's body. She didn't respond to his outstretched arm, rather she gripped the Time Lord's hand tighter. The Doctor wished she didn't, she was getting slightly in the way. He wanted her to distract him, but there was no way of telling her this. However, her grip did enlighten him to the returning sensations in his arms.

From where he was lying, he couldn't see Grig. But it was obvious he did not take this defiance lightly.

"He… a monster. If you knew… actions, you'd turn… back on him." He insisted, roughly grabbing Kate's arm and dragging her up. "I have saved you."

"I hardly wanted… saved by you the first time." Kate spat. "You'd kill the Doctor… Ursaform. You're acts of heroism are pointless."

"The Ursaform isn't an act of heroism. The Ursaform is no different to your cattle." Grig refuted.

Everything was back in focus now. Sight, sound and some movement in his arms. Grig started to pull Kate towards the Ursaform, which still sat at bay and was itself reluctant to be near her. Now was his chance.

Using what strength he could find, the Doctor dragged himself across the short gap to the phone. Gripping it weakly, he attempted to press at the screen, desperate to ensure the safety of everyone here. He'd been doing a startling job so far, and he made a mental note to pay for the missing wall in Sally's porch.

Maddeningly, the phone did not respond to his touch. He put this down to the charge of his body. Between the electrocution and the healing energy; it must have been interfering with the phone's recognition of him. Damn Apple.

Turning to look at Kate and Grig, the Doctor was surprised to see the Ursaform shrinking from the human's presence. It made sense for it to be wary, especially after the horse trick, but this was full blown fear. Ursaforms were supposed to be fearless, they had no natural predators and most things they could beat into a pulp. But something about Kate seemed to scare it. Grig could approach it freely. Not her though.

He started to feel pain his legs, a good sign given the circumstances. Twisting them into a comfortable position, he made to stand but failed. The regenerative build up was becoming too great. And the phone still wouldn't respond to him.

If the life of this body was as futile as his current situation, he was not going to enjoy it. But for the second time that day, his hands started to glow gold. If he didn't rid his system of it soon, he'd burn up.

Attempting to stand once more, he made a desperate struggle until he felt someone helping him. Looking at his assistant, he was glad to see Sally standing there, taking most of his weight until he was fully balanced.

"Press send." He told her, passing her the phone before giving her a tired thumbs-up. "I'm going to get Kate."

She nodded as he staggered away, feeling the burning with every step as the energy built. Gold started to cloud his vision, beginning to blind him after healing his vision minutes previously. He had to reach Kate, he had to save the Ursaform. Then he'd have tea in the TARDIS, maybe take a holiday on Clom. He had to stop Grig as well, but help would be here any second.

Elements of their conversation reached his ears as he neared. They were wondering the same thing he was.

"It's terrified of you." Grig said, in a tone that suggested repetitive awe. It amused the Doctor that Androgums were so simple.

"You've said. Why is it scared?" Kate asked, trying to reach out a comforting hand to the Ursaform which was now backed up against the stable.

"There are few things that would scare it." Grig commented. "And they died in fire long ago. The last one died mere minutes ago."

"No I didn't." The Doctor said, ripping the cattle prod from Grig's surprised hands. "You don't know much about my people, do you?"

"I can smell your pain." He responded. "You look much too hot."

"That's just my handsomeness. But I assume my clothes are still looking fine." The Doctor quipped, looking down at his waistcoat. True to his words, it was still clean and unmarked. There was some remarkable washing detergent in the TARDIS.

"Either way, you'll be gone soon." Grig smiled. "And then I'm afraid I'll have to kill Kate. Fear is so very bad for the quality of meat."

"Don't you lay a hand on her, or I'll-."

"You'll what, Doctor? Kill me? From the stories I've heard, you've been running from that version of yourself. What made you so violent?"

"You just electrocuted me. And you've threatened a very nice person. I don't like that." The Doctor threatened, despite his increasing weakness. So hot now, too much.

"No matter. Goodbye Doctor." Grig said, diving in with a powerful punch.

The Doctor was stunned by the blow, barely staying on his feet. He dropped the cattle prod in his shock, which Grig wasted no time in reaching for. Dazed by the blow, the Doctor watched as the prod was jabbed towards him. At the last second, he toppled over as Kate ran into him.

They fell down together, the Doctor gripping her arm to avoid Grig getting her. At this contact, his mind suddenly sharpened. All the energy that had been frying his nerves retracted from them, moving down to his fingertips and passing to Kate as it left him healed. All the cuts and muscle damage vanished as the last of the residue left. How it was doing that, he had no idea.

Refocused, he pulled Kate with him, trying to elude Grig as he swiped at them. He had never felt better, getting to his feet beside the Ursaform. Kate on the other hand seemed to be in shock. There was a golden hue to her skin as the energy slid through her veins.

In blind panic, the Ursaform shot out from behind them and rushed away to the field, trampling Grig in the process. The Androgum lay unconscious as his prize lolloped away.

"Kate? We did it." The Doctor said, pulling her into the garage to lie her down.

Leaning her against the car wreck, he studied her veins as the energy drifted through her. It slowly retracted from her hands, and drained from her face, leaving her looking quite healthy but no less stunned. He silently asked her forgiveness as he pressed two fingers to her temple.

Inside her mind, he could feel the burning slide to her right leg. The sensations she was experiencing were similar to how he felt regeneration, but were on a much smaller scale. It was focused on just that one limb, the lower part of the shin where the bone was deformed and badly reconstructed by his standards. He knew she could feel the cells melt and reconfigure, moving into their proper position. As the bone rehardened, the last of the energy faded. Kate's leg was good as new.

And that wasn't supposed to happen.

"Kate? Can you hear me?" The Doctor asked tentatively, removing his fingers from her temple and leaving her mind. He'd never enjoyed regeneration himself, he had no idea how she'd take it.

Kate looked at him, the shock and confusion slowly breaking into a smile.

"The pain." She said happily. "The pain's gone."

The Doctor couldn't help but smile with her. Since the accident, for the last five years, she'd felt pain in her leg. He'd seen how it had tired her, in her mind. How it had reminded her of mortality and closed off her mind to some of the fantasy of life. With it gone, hope returned, the need to prove things vanished.

"Kate? Doctor?" Sally called from the yard. The dog, Liz, was barking again. "There are… The police are here?"

The questioning nature of her statement was welcome. Pulling Kate up, the two walked out of the garage to find the space outside Kate's home filled with space rhinos.

"Who are they?" Kate asked, looking at the captain approaching them.

"Judoon." The Doctor said, earning a nod from Kate.

"Skro ko bo fo sho lo ro ko." The Judoon Captain announced, holding out a leaflet to the Doctor.

Taking it, he gave it a once over while Kate studied the cubic script. She then turned and ran, properly ran, to Sally, showing off her healed leg. Maybe 'showing off' was the wrong term, but it's what the Doctor would have done.

"Androgum black market neutralised." The Captain spoke, almost gratefully, for a Judoon. "Argin of the Hanzine Grig arrested. Ursaform to be returned to Polaris."

"Good. Very good. Thank you Captain… Tybo." The Doctor read from the sheet.

Without another word, Tybo turned around and marched back to his troops. Some were holding Grig back, probably listing off his rights. Others were leading the Ursaform into a crate for transport. A few were inspecting the hole in the front wall of the house. Most of all, the Doctor found it hilarious that one was interviewing the Dennis', glancing at Liz warily from time to time. Sally looked completely bewildered by their appearance, while Kate was happily answering the questions.

Sauntering over, the Doctor joined in the questions and they soon enough left.

Watching the Judoon vanish with their load, Kate suddenly began laughing.

"What is it?" The Doctor asked, grinning with her.

"Today." Kate said. "Today has been the weirdest day ever. It's the best day."

The Dennis' started walking back to their house, beginning to talk about mending the wall. The Doctor followed, promising to pay for it all. Together, they sat and talked in the post-danger excitement he was so familiar with, with the Doctor telling them the stories of his encounters with Androgums and Judoon.

"Doctor." Sally asked eventually. "How did the Judoon know to come here?"

"Oh. I texted them." He said.

Kate smiled at that, as she had at most the ridiculous things he said. "Is that why you borrowed the phone?"

"Yes." He replied, smiling with her. "I recorded the conversation, just before Grig electrocuted me, and had it sent to the Shadow Proclamation. Not so sci-fi, but it got the job done. I did link it with the TARDIS for a greater though."

The Doctor's eyes then widened in realisation, slapping himself on the forehead as he thought it through.

"I have a horrible suspicion the phone bill will cost more than the wall."


	7. The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 6)

**So, guys and gals, this is the final part of '**_**The Beast of Ridge Nook'**_**. New TARDIS and new adventures to come soon. **

**The fabulous 50****th**** Anniversary has changed some things, but hopefully not enough to change the story I had in mind. However, it probably won't develop further whatever happens once the Twelfth Doctor arrives, just so the plan isn't completely lost.**

**Once again, I do not own Doctor Who (but good lord, I wish I did). Any concepts tht are not found in the series do belong to me, however. **

**Happy reading!**

**The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 6)**

At dawn, the Doctor trudged across the fields with Kate, Sally and Liz in tow. Before them, a Police Box sat against a hedge, the border of the Dennis' land and Grig's fields. It looked brand new. The marvel of a fresh coat of paint. Not a day aged since Foreman's Scrapyard.

"This is it?" Kate asked as they neared it. "Your spaceship?"

"Of course it is. What did you expect, the Entreprise?" The Doctor retorted, laying a hand lovingly against the door.

Kate mimicked him, placing a palm on the wood and feeling the faint vibration of the engine. "It's a bit small. And you've lived here for hundreds of years?"

"You don't know the half of it." The Doctor was searching through the inside pocket of his coat, still unmarked despite the events of last night. He was also eyeing Liz as she suspiciously sniffed at the base of the box. "Care to do the honours?"

He produced a yale key from his pocket, holding it out to Kate for the grand reveal. For her and her mother; they were about to see the true scope his world. For the Doctor; he was about to find out if the TARDIS had chosen a good pattern. He really hated the coral theme. Too grunge for his tastes now.

Tentatively, Kate took the key from his fingers, and pressed it gently into the lock before twisting it. To his satisfaction, the door clicked open. No being left outside this time.

She stood before the doors for a brief moment, feeling the tension and preparing herself for whatever wonder lay beyond. In one sudden movement, she pushed the doors back with a snap to reveal the home of the Doctor.

"My god." She said, as he lead them into the box.

Towards what should have been the natural back of the box, three steps led down onto a large, circular platform. Polished hardwood floors reflected the subdued light from above and were featureless apart from the hexagonal console that sat patiently. All wood and glass, the controls were bound in leather or brass or crystal. Nearing this feature, the Doctor found that beneath the glass panels were cogs, all of varying sizes and linked together; a glow casting shadows from the core.

Running from the console into the ceiling was the ever-present Time Rotor, this time housing interlocking teeth between which the figure-eight Seal of Rassilon was suspended. At the base was a much larger cog, on which sat a Magpie Electricals screen, free to move around the controls should it be needed.

Casting his gaze to the walls, he found several bands of clockwork roundels in line with the platform. These continued up the dome until they merged with a balcony that ran right around the room, leading to several doorway all bearing the Seal. The balcony itself was accessible by a short staircase to the left of the console.

Leaning on the metal rail that would keep passengers from falling below while in flight, the Doctor was pleased to see a small selection of the library placed on the bookshelves that covered the walls of that level. Towards the right side were a few pieces of furniture; a pair of antique chairs, a chez longue and a collection of small tables. The most exciting thing about this feature, though, was the spiral staircase that lead down to the mini-library. He'd always wanted a spiral staircase in here.

"Well, you certainly know comfort." Sally said, holding Liz's lead close to her as she took in the TARDIS.

"She does. I really like this place." The Doctor agreed, directing his comment more to his ship than anyone else.

"How do you get the outside around the inside?" She asked, looking slightly more nervous than he would have expected. She was eyeing the door in an almost wish to escape.

In answer, the Doctor just tapped his nose knowingly before removing his coat and hanging it on the handstand besides the door. Beside the new, black cutaway was his old, green blazer.

"It's very romanticist." Kate observed, running her hand along one console panel to confirm to herself this place was real.

"I was once a very big romanticist. You should have seen the TARDIS, incredibly gothic. All that wax was hell to clean up." He wittered, weaving around the console to locate all the needed controls. "I'm not sure what I am now, but what fun it will be finding out."

The Doctor then leapt up a few of the steps to the balcony, turning back midway.

"How about some tea?" He suggested. "Feel I should return the favour. I'll be right back. Make yourselves comfortable downstairs."

Without waiting for an answer, he ran off through the nearest door, leaving the Dennis' alone. Kate led the way down the spiral and chose one the chairs, the one which just gave her a view to the upper staircase. Her mother sat on the Chez Longue timidly, letting Liz off her lead to give the floor a good sniff.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked, noticing her mother's rigid uncertainty as she sat.

"Nothi-." Sally began, before deciding to be honest. "It's all a little too much. Grig, and the bear, and those Rhinos." She paused. "And then he goes and shows us another dimension in a box!"

Kate got the feeling there was more to what her mother was saying than she let on, but thought it best to not probe too deeply. It was a decidedly funny choice of words. 'Dimension'. Personally, she'd have chosen world. Most people probably would.

"That name Grig said last night. Or title." Her mother continued. "I heard him say it, when he killed the Doctor. The Valeyard."

Kate leant forwards slightly, interested. Grig had indeed spoken of a Valeyard, citing it as one of his reasons for attempting murder. 'The Doctor would make war with the Valeyard'.

"What does that mean?" Kate asked, wondering what the implications of that would be. Her mother certainly seemed to understand part of it.

"Nothing, sweetheart." Sally said suddenly, as the Doctor re-entered the room carefully carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. "I'm afraid I must be off, Doctor."

The Doctor looked surprised, glancing between her and the third teacup. He then shrugged before reaching into his pocket and retrieving what looked like a business card.

"If you must." He commented, sounding slightly hurt at her derparture before handing her the card. "When you get in, call this number. Ask for Lethbridge-Stewart, mention me and give the password 'Oswin-C'. Explain what happened and someone will be along to sort everything out for you."

Sally took the card and knitted her eyebrows upon reading the name.

"If you say so, Doctor." She said, before offering her hand. "Thank you, for helping my Kate."

"Pleasure." He replied, shaking the offered hand warmly. He didn't want to admit he had no idea how he had done it. Or if it was even him. Kate was certainly a bit of a puzzle.

"Will you be staying for a little while, Kate?" Sally asked, turning to her daughter as she collected Liz from the opposite side of the library.

Kate looked at the Doctor, who had taken a seat in the other chair and avoided her gaze. It then she saw him, beneath the distractions and the quips and the apparent need to impress. He was alone. He had this whole ship, the entire universe, and he was alone. When he glanced at her, she could see that in his eyes. What would he become if he went on? The man to declare war on someone equally as mysterious as him, as Grig had said?

"If that's alright." She said, watching her mother turn to her, slightly surprised.]

"It's his home." She said needlessly, heading up the stairs to the door. "Thank you again, Doctor."

With that, she left. The Doctor was still shocked at the sudden change in her, wondering what had been said while he was gone. Obviously, nothing that produced any sour feelings between mother and daughter. But that familiar fear of him, that was odd.

"How long will you be staying?" The Doctor asked, immediately cursing the bluntness of his new body.

"How long would you like me here?" Kate asked back, pouring out tea for both of them. "I haven't really gone anywhere in five years. I've no idea when it becomes imposing."

The Doctor chuckled slightly, questioning her claim. "Five years? I'm somewhere new every day."

"That you said." She returned. "I'd like to see what that's like. The aimlessness of journey."

He stopped her there, holding up his hand as he took the tea from her. "It's not always aimless."

"Oh?" Kate said, smiling lightly. "Please elaborate."

Her confidence when it was just the two of them surprised him. He found it slightly endearing. The interest people had was largely ignored by his last life. Not this time.

"A long time ago, my people were in a war." The Doctor started, setting his untouched drink down. "And I thought I had destroyed it. Turns out I didn't, I just moved it. Somewhere."

"You're trying to get back?" Kate interrupted, grin growing on her face. "Is that what you're doing?"

"Not all the time. Sometimes I just go wherever I want." He explained. "But one day, I will get back. Yes, one day."

His tea lay quite forgotten as he leapt up, dancing around in excitement. Kate laughed as he did so, watching him change his mood dramatically from one of longing to one of excitement. It was hard to believe anything bad Grig had said.

"I need to go somewhere." The Doctor said, suddenly stopping and running up the stairs, beginning to flick various levers and switches. "Stretch the old, new legs. Take the TARDIS on a jaunt to anywhere. Fancy coming?"

"I beg your pardon?" Kate asked back, genuinely shocked he'd asked.

"You, me, TARDIS. A few journeys." He said, stopping before her, as she stood a few steps down. "Anywhere."

"Why would you take me?" She questioned, unsure of what would happen.

"Because of what you did last night, because you're special." He explained. "And because you're the first person I saw in this body. I generally take them with me. The TARDIS wouldn't just drop me with anyone."

Kate smiled again, tempted by his offer. She wanted to go with him. She wanted to see what he saw everyday. And if at all possible; find out about his future troubles. He had mended her, she would take care of him.

"What about my mum?" Kate asked, the one hindrance. "I can't just say I'm running off with an alien we met the night before."

The Doctor quirked his eyebrow, before looking around the room with faux confusion.

"I think I mentioned the TARDIS is a time machine." He said.

"No way." She replied, jaw dropping slightly. "No, no, no."

"Yes, yes, yes." The Doctor responded. "I'm a death-defying alien on the search for his long lost home. Why wouldn't I have a time machine?"

Kate just shook her head, non-believingly, before saying: "Well I guess I'll have to take you up on the offer. See what you can do in this box of yours."

"Me?" He said, stretching out his hand as if asking for a dance. "I could do anything."

She took his hand, and was dragged up the last steps to be twirled around the console. The Doctor started manipulating the controls around her, before stopping at lever directly in front of the door.

Meeting her eyes, he took one of her hands in his, guiding it to the one control that could break the monotony of the everyday. He held his hand over hers, and gave her a challenging look.

"Ready?" The Doctor asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Kate replied.

Together, they pulled down the lever, causing the central column to jump into action as the ancient groan of adventure rang through the TARDIS as they were cast into the vortex.

**To be continued in **_**'Of Corfe and Chaos'. **_

**AN: So there we have it, the Doctor and Kate off on their travels. Hints about what will come and maybe a mystery. Jolly good fun.**

**Hopefully will update shortly (although with some computer issues, it may be a while).**


	8. Of Corfe and Chaos (prologue)

**Hi guys!**

**Here's the start of the second story for **_**Must Never Be Told**_**; '**_**Of Corfe and Chaos**_**'. I must warn you now, I know very little about the English Civil War (in which most of this story is set) and there almost certainly will be historical inaccuracies. **

**Apart from that, it should be alright, and any mistakes will be amended as soon as possible.**

***Insert standard disclaimer here***

**With thanks to readers, and my first reviewer; uberscribbler.**

**Of Corfe and Chaos (prologue)**

_1645_

Mary Bankes marched hurriedly through the Great Tower, stopping at every door to search the rooms behind. The heat was near unbearable despite the cool, coastal breeze that ran through the castle. The pressure was building.

Even within the thick walls, she could hear the approaching drums. Faint in the distance, they rang in her ears and pressed her forwards. The drums of battle came ever closer with each beat.

As one of the last Royal strongholds, it was the duty of her husband to keep the King's presence this far south. The King, who had squandered and brought this on himself. Her husband, who at this very moment was off in Oxford doing God knows what. What good was the power of a monarch, if he allowed civil war to consume his country?

Even with the ineptitude of His Majesty, Mary would be damned before Britain fell to the Puritans. And here they were; marching on the castle to further their goals. If not for the battling of men, peace could be held. To hell with Charles and Cromwell.

She found herself soon moving back down the tower with the dissatisfaction of being unable to locate any of the garrison. These men had been charged with protecting the walls and the people, her family included. Instead, they were hunting. On the very day they were needed most. It was funny how when one needed someone or something, they were never present.

"Colonel?!" Mary called, exiting to the yard. "COLONEL!"

Shouting would only alert the children to the impending attack. Five hundred Parliamentarians would soon be upon them, and the children would only distract her. Mary must protect them, but to do that, they must stay out of her way.

"Colonel!"

Bingham was nowhere in sight. She had been sure he had not joined the hunt. He wouldn't. Still hiding though, for all intents and purposes. The drums were getting louder.

Getting closer. Nearing the village. In the distance, in all directions, she could see smoke trails as barns burnt. They were scaring away reinforcements. Maybe scaring of the garrison. Nothing to worsen the situation could surprise her now.

Turning a corner, Mary was pleased to see two soldiers walking towards her. Never mind the fact they were neither manning a post nor keeping watch. There were some left, and the slightest sliver of hope.

"You two!" She cried, standing before them.

They sprang to attention, keeping their gaze level with the top of her head. Stupidly. It did surprise her that, when she looked between them, they shared the same face. It was not often you found two of the same womb in this area of England.

"Colonel Bingham is still within the castle walls, is he not?" She asked, trying to gain one of their glances.

"Yes ma'am." They replied, in unison.

"And do you know where he is?"

"No ma'am." The pair immediately said, still in eerily perfect time.

"Well, then. You are to find him at once, and tell him to plan a defence with any troops he can raise, immediately." Mary commanded, straightening her back. "You may not have noticed, sirrahs, but Corfe is under attack."

The soldiers nodded before running off, in the same direction, to begin the search. The drums were now closing, they must be upon the houses by now.

Mary continued on her path, keeping in to the wall lest the attackers should suddenly storm the yard. The children were her next priority, now that she trusted the men to find Bingham. If all else was fruitless, she may at least be able to evacuate them before Parliament arrived. Wishful thinking, maybe.

Surprisingly, as she neared an arch the sound of the drumming seemed to die down. Rather thsn be replaced by the calm of the countryside, instead a more welcoming sound of people was heard. She knew this to be impossible, the people were being raided in the village, but there were voices; lots of them, just beyond this arch. Not just various conversations, but music. The strangest music she had heard in her life. She dared to hope the garrison had returned in the nick of time.

Stepping under the arch, Mary Bankes felt ill as the grey clouds washed away and she was bathed in sunlight.

**AN: No Doctor or Kate in this chapter, mainly because combined it was too long and confusing. But they will be appearing in the very next chapter, which I'm posting simultaneously. Thinking about, it makes the entire divide kind of pointless, but oh well.**


	9. Of Corfe and Chaos (part 1)

**Here's the promised continued chapter. Still not exactly sure why I split them apart. Probably for organisation purposes. **

**Anyways.**

**Of Corfe and Chaos (part 1)**

"Hold that lever down!" The Doctor cried as the room lurched from side to side. His bid to prove his time-travelling capabilities was not boding well so far.

Kate lunged to hold down the control indicated, as the pilot of the craft dodged his way around the console to meet her. The cogs below the glass panels spun increasingly quickly, as did those in the roundels, but would occasionally slow down and reverse their spin. She took this as a good sign rather than a bad one, even though she had no grounding for her logic. It was all too possible for her to be in over her head. Running off with a magic man to have adventures. Not many sane people would do that.

The column in the centre of the console churned its teeth, in rhythm with the groaning that filled her ears. It sound awfully like the brake had been left, although she questioned whether the… TARDIS! That's what the Doctor had called it. She questioned if it had brakes at all.

Her companion darted around the controls twice more before he was able to bring the ship to a grinding halt. Kate was flung off her feet while the Doctor kept his stance, laughing at his success.

"There we go!" He said, helping Kate up off the floor. "Just a little technical issue."

"A little issue?" She asked back. She had meant to frown, but couldn't help but smile when she realised there was no pain in her leg. It didn't seem possible to her that the bone had been healed after this long by the Doctor. He lived up to his name.

"Nothing major." He assured, pulling his coat off the hatstand and shrugging it on. "Always a little jittery after redecorating. A slight problem with the landing gears."

"The 'landing gears' sound important." Kate reminded him, staying close on his tail as he headed to the doors. "Did it work then? Are we in the past?"

The Doctor looked smugly back at her, holding the exit to anywhere firmly closed behind him.

"Miss Dennis, are you ready to have your mind blown by…" He swung open the doors and spun around with a flourish, grabbing Kate's hand to drag her after him. He looked around their destination before his face fell. "… a summer fete."

Around them, people filtered between brightly coloured canvas stalls. They were dressed in modern clothing; jeans, shirts, skirts, jackets, chinos, converse sneakers. It was nothing that surprised Kate. Some were holding ice creams and taking photos with friends. Others were pulling children along with them, looking very much the stereotypical parents. Each stall seemed to sell different souvenirs or toys or memberships for the RSPCA. Beyond them, nothing more than an aged wall receiving the golden glow from the cloudless blue sky.

On his grand demonstration of time travel, the Doctor had taken her to a village fair.

"Well, you can certainly travel through space." She conceded, watching him regain some semblance of his previous confidence. "Must be southern England, it's certainly got the weather."

"Yes." The Doctor agreed, looking around himself quickly. He spun on the spot and walked around the Police Box behind her. "Ah ha! That's where we are."

Kate followed him around, noting some of the people's curiosity of her friend as they passed. He still wore the Victorian Cutaway coat and the Charlie Chaplin waistcoat. Not the most conspicuous clothing ever. The only way it could be worse would be if he insisted on wearing a brightly coloured jacket.

He waved up at a castle that had been hidden behind them. It stood as a monument of its former self; two outside walls of a tower alone amongst sunken ruins. She could see the cobbled stumps of a gatehouse marking the entrance further up the hill it stood on. Nothing special. Historic and a National Trust property maybe, but not the excitement the Doctor had promised.

"We're in Corfe Castle." He announced, lacking enthusiasm. "Dorset, England. How dull."

"It's not that bad." Kate argued. "You got us a couple of hundred miles from my house, that's further than my mum accomplished in five years."

The Doctor looked at her curiously for a moment, regarding her comment. She knew he was aware of the crash that had essentially crippled her, both physically and emotionally, but she hadn't given any finer details. However, Kate still got the distinct feeling he knew more than he let on.

"I'm not sure this is your present." He said, suddenly. "Hold on."

He wandered over to the nearest stall, which appeared to be selling scarves for no apparent reason in summer, and stealthily swiped a newspaper the stall-keeper had left on the counter. The keeper, however, did notice the Doctor's brief excursion and started calling after him. The Doctor ignored him, looking at the paper in triumph.

"The date is June 8th, 2010." He read, showing her the paper.

Looking into the corner, Kate was shocked to see he was correct. The Times clarified his claim and opened up a whole new world of possibilities to her. The magic man who had fought off a bear yesterday had brought nearly four years into the past.

"No way." She commented, leaning back against the TARDIS in stupor.

"Yes way." The Doctor replied, joining her. "Not bad for the first run. The engines are probably still not sorted."

"Four years!" Kate exclaimed, attracting the attention of some passers-by. "I'm only halfway through Uni!"

"Then or now?" He asked, before contorting his face in thought. "Of course 'then' and 'now' are slightly ambiguous, given the situation."

"I graduated Art History in 2012. I love paintings." She clarified, leading him back to the stall to return the stolen paper.

"Paintings are alright." He countered. "Except when things walk out of them or things are in them that shouldn't be there or they become part of an evil funding project."

"You make it sound like it happens a lot."

"It happens sometimes." He lead them off towards the main castle. "Although to be fair, I did get to give input on the Mona Lisa."

"A few hours ago I would've thought you were mad." Kate commented, matching his longer stride up the incline. "Now you're just a slightly weird alien with a time machine."

They crossed the bridge into the ruins of the inner keep, finding great masses of brick and stone strewing the hilltop. Most of the yard was shrouded in the shadow of the tower's remains, providing a cool change to the heat of the fair. Other than an arch between two structures, very little remained intact.

"I've been worse. I was once manipulating imp who acted like a buffoon." The Doctor said, stepping onto the former foundations of the keep wall and sitting down on the edge.

"Was that your childhood, or…?" She asked, wondering more about his life. He knew a lot about her past. All she knew was hints about his future, if he hadn't been this current person long. Grig had said something along those lines after electrocuting him.

What exactly happened to him to change personas was also a mystery. He hadn't explained much about himself.

"Guess I kind of was. That was when I was much younger." He affirmed, leaning back onto his elbows as he looked out. "So, you must have questions."

She hadn't really thought about any of the events of the past few days, rather just gone with it. For a long time, she'd just accepted what was said the world, working it into her view. Sometimes she enjoyed the mystery, the excitement it brought into daily life. Art was a wondrous medium to her, embracing everything in her philosophy. But now, she just wanted to know what the Doctor did.

"Where are you from?" She asked, settling for the basics. "You said you were trying to find your home, but what was, is it called?"

He looked at her briefly, surprised by her question. People normally went for the questions about time travel and who he really was.

"Gallifrey." He answered, staring at a passing train along the hills. "House of Lungbarrow."

Kate turned away from him and thought for a while. She didn't ask anything else. The Doctor leant forwards to look at her face in confusion. Anyone else would have asked further, wanting to know everything he would tell them. Instead, Kate smiled just from the name of his planet.

"What is it?" He asked, catching her attention by breaking the silence.

She looked at him with a content expression. "You can tell more about a person by the way they talk about their home than you can any other way, I find."

The Doctor thought about this, giving the idea some merit as he remembered all his friends and their origins. Adric with Alzarius. Nyssa of Traken. Amy and Leadworth. All with different attitudes, all from completely different backgrounds.

"Well then, Kate from Ridge Nook. I say we have a look around this fete and then go find something slightly more interesting. What do you think?" he said, getting up from their perch.

"So long as I get back by dinner four years from now, Doctor of Lungbarrow." She laughed, climbing after him.

As they headed back down the path, they spotted a large gathering a people collecting at the archway. The group crowded around something hidden and were whispering to each other in quiet shock.

Registering the worried glances, the Doctor changed course to join them, pushing his way through with calls of "I'm a doctor!" to part the crowd. More people were ever joining the huddle, eventually swallowing up his image as he continued weaving through.

Kate made to follow him, but she felt someone catch her shoulder from behind. Turning quickly, she found a pair of twins, easily a foot taller than her, staring at her with scarily black eyes, indeterminable of age. Their skin was a slightly dun shade, all the more pronounced by the glinting sun. They were both dressed formally, oddly so for a summer afternoon. Black evening wear hung loosely from almost skeletal frames, and they hunched over for an even more wraith-like appearance.

"Excuse us miss." Said the one who had his hand upon her shoulder. "We wondered whether you knew of an Alchemist?"

For a fleeting second, Kate wondered if they belonged to a cult. They certainly wouldn't have looked out of place in one. But the people passing them didn't even look twice at them, if at all. Either they were more populous and common in Dorset 2010 than historically known, or they were hidden from the crowds in some way. She thought the second idea probably fitted the situation, given the madness of the Doctor's world.

"An Alchemist?" She asked, trying to hold two gazes.

"Of course." The other said, stepping slightly closer. "We can feel his aura all around you. He is near to you. Bonded into your life."

While Kate would never admit panic, the pair were starting to give her the creeps. Between their appearance and the way they were talking, she was beginning to wonder if time travel was really her greatest idea ever.

"I don't know what you mean." She said, hoping to back out of the grasp and rejoin the Doctor.

"Of course." The first, shoulder holding one repeated. "He has made his presence forgotten."

Before she could question further, she heard shouting from the crowd at the arch. Turning quickly and forcefully, she found the Doctor shouting for the people to disband and give space. He caught her eye quickly, and motioned for her to join him, oblivious to the twins.

However, when she looked back to the twins, empty space stood in their place. Where they managed to vanish to, she had no idea. She certainly hoped they wouldn't reappear any time soon.

Jogging through the wandering group, she ran to the Doctor and grabbed his arm for protection, expecting the twins to not approach while she was with him. It seemed like a reasonable theory, if he was as well-known as the Androgum and the Judoon had made out.

The Doctor himself was busy helping a woman in period dress to her feet. She wore the fine, post-Renaissance clothing of an aristocrat; splattered with mud despite the dryness of the yard. Her face was pale and showed shock, as she looked around herself in bewilderment and fear.

"Kate, this is…" The Doctor started, looking at her hand gripping his sleeve in confusion before carrying on. "This is Lady Mary Bankes, of Corfe Castle. Is something wrong, Ka-…"

"Where am I?" Lady Bankes whispered, misinterpreting the direction of his question. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor, this is my friend Kate." He said, taking Kate's hand off his sleeve and instead gripping it in his. She still looked back at her path uneasily, expecting them to appear again. "And you're in your castle, m'lady."

"No, no. This is ruins." She screeched, catching the attention of some lingering lookers-on. "Did I fall unconscious for the siege? Have I been left here, thought dead?"

"Beg your pardon?" The Doctor said, giving Kate's hand a squeeze and pulling her back into reality from… whatever she was looking out for. The appearance of a traumatised, 17th century noblewoman was not helping matters.

"The siege! Parliament marching on Corfe!" Bankes hitched her skirt up slightly and marched off a slight way, the Doctor following closely. "Where are the children?"

"It's 2010." He said, dragging Kate with him. "I'm afraid your children will be long dead. So should you, actually, but you probably don't want to think about that either."

"What's she doing here?" Kate whispered, releasing her grip slightly. The Doctor shrugged in bemusement back at her.

"Don't try tricks on me, roundhead!" Bankes shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the pair of them. "One of your men ambushes me under that arch, knocks me out and leaves me while you destroy this place!"

The Doctor held up his hands in confused surrender, moving his gaze to the arch he had found her under.

"You mean that rubble?" He asked, moving towards it as Lady Bankes whimpered at the mention of 'rubble'.

Kate followed him to the surviving construct, pulling an outraged aristocrat with her. The Doctor stood still beneath the arch, stooping his head slightly and listening intently. Lady Bankes huffed with indignation, looking like she was about to scold Kate for touching her.

"Can you hear them?" The Doctor questioned before Bankes could screech.

"Hear what?" Kate asked, moving to stand by him. Through the arch there was only an empty hilltop, and the silence to match.

"Those marching drums." He urged, before taking a step through the arch and vanishing.


	10. Of Corfe and Chaos (part 2)

**Evidently I was not getting into the swing I thought I was. No matter, another chapter completed!**

**Plans for the conclusion of this story are starting to come together, although it'll be a long time before **_**Must Never be Told **_**ends. I have no idea whether that's good or bad. Anyway, there are a few stories without much of a plan, so if anyone wants old or new companions to appear, familiar settings or well-known creatures to return, I'm open to suggestions. There may even be a multi-Doctor story at some point…**

**Anyhoo, back to Corfe.**

**(Unfortunately, I still do not own Doctor Who, but I'm working on it.)**

**Enjoy.**

**Of Corfe and Chaos (part 2)**

The Doctor spun around in surprise. While he had been previously inspecting one of Corfe's ruins, he now found himself staring around the inner keep of an intact castle. The sky had gone from clear to overcast in the blink of an eye, the heat his coat retained washing away into the cool air.

"Well, that's never good." He spoke aloud, tasting the largely unpolluted air of the 17th century.

Turning back to the arch, he crossed under it again, hoping it was two-way. No good results. He was stuck in the English Civil War. Brilliant.

Surprisingly, to him at least, the yard was empty. Any other castle, there would be a heavy bustle of people trading or being thrown in the stocks. Or was that just the middle ages? Nevertheless, an empty castle was not normal.

Deciding on a direction, the Doctor marched to the wall he had sat on with Kate not more than half-an-hour ago. It was much taller now, or then.

Reaching to top, the sight which met him was one he was shamed to be familiar with. Where the village of Corfe Castle would later be stood a collection of smoking barns, a sight which continued into the distance all around the stronghold. Worse still, an army was fast approaching from below, heading to the gatehouse. It was them the drumbeats were coming from, signifying the imminent attack.

"Halt!" Someone yelled from beside him.

The Doctor turned sharply, coming face to face with a musket held by a scrawny lad, possibly no older than Kate. He looked scared, terrified even, of the approaching army, casting nervous glances down the hill every now and then. This was probably his first battle.

"Don't mind me!" The Doctor said cheerfully. "Just admiring the view. Again."

"I demand to know who you are!" The soldier cried, fooling nobody with his yell.

"Finally, someone who wants to know 'who'." He muttered, turning fully to the boy. "Who do you think I am?"

The soldier stepped back slightly, as if the question physically stunned him.

"A treasonous roundhead and an agent of parliament!" He yelled again. "What have you done with Lady Bankes?"

The Doctor massaged the bridge of his nose. The kid's yelling was going to give him a headache. No wonder the crown lost if this was the kind of warrior they had. And he'd known what it was to be a warrior.

"First of all; a roundhead? Really?" The Doctor asked, indicating his hair length and the colour in his clothes. "If I'm a roundhead, then you're Arthur of Camelot. Secondly; Lady Bankes is quite safe. She's waiting in the keep. Technically."

"You are to be taken to Colonel Bingham." The soldier ordered, this time with surprising force.

"There we go. Next time, start with that." He said, before willingly taking the lead. "If you want to consolidate your authority, be sure to keep your gun trained on me."

At this advice, the Doctor heard a clatter of a weapon behind him. Once the soldier had fixed his position, he pushed into the Time Lord's back to signal for him to go. They descended back into the keep and crossed towards the tower, standing proudly with all four walls. In its current state, it was much more intimidating. All dark and foreboding, especially against the grey sky. Entering the structure, they quickly climbed to a room somewhere towards the centre, where six other men were waiting.

They were all much older than the soldier that had brought the Doctor in, but quite a few of them looked just as unsure. Only one of them looked confident, obviously the commanding officer. Bearing the most over-the-top uniform, he was a good three inches taller than the Doctor and looked down on him as a lion would an antelope. Probably not a man one would want to mess with.

"Greetings Bingers!" The Doctor said, shaking his hand enthusiastically. "I was just admiring your castle. Got a bit lost on the way."

Bingham looked at his hand distastefully, stepping forward and trying to use his height to intimidate the prisoner. No such luck.

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't execute you." He demanded, staring down the intruder.

"Wouldn't want to get blood on your nice, clean walls?" The Doctor suggested, before digging a handy tool from his pocket. "On the orders of His Majesty, I am to assist and head the defence of this stronghold."

The Colonel took the psychic paper from him to read thoroughly. He didn't seem satisfied by it, pulling an even greater scowl. The paper was then passed to one of his men.

"It says this was issued by King James." The subordinate observed.

Everyone suddenly raised their weapons at the Doctor.

"Does it?" He asked, nipping over carefully to the soldier with paper. "No, no. Can't you read? That says Charles the Third!"

"Third?!" Bingham roared, appearing as if he was ready to shoot him. Probably was.

"First! Sorry." He corrected, pretending to inspect the paper while giving it time to change. "He really does have terrible handwriting."

"Why would he put 'Charles the First?" The young, scrawny soldier that had captured him asked.

"He has a son. He'll be king after dad, naturally be Charles the Second. Just getting used to how he'll be remembered." The Doctor explained, pocketing the paper to avoid further mistakes. He md a mental note to study more of this era. "Anyway, I am General Smith, new advisor to the crown. There are about five-hundred men outside ready to destroy these walls. Lady Bankes is taking shelter in preparation. How many men have we got?"

The soldiers around the room looked between themselves for a minute, seemingly discussing the credibility of this man. The drums were now audible through the walls, and seemed to press their decision more. Eventually, Bingham stepped up to him.

"There are seven of us, sir." He said, unhappy about the change in command.

The Doctor's smile faltered. This would be harder to prolong than he thought.

"Ah."

_2010_

Kate stared at the arch where the Doctor had been seconds earlier. She thought that any second now he'd appear back through with a laugh. No such luck.

Behind her, Mary Bankes was still hysterically shrieking at the ruins that littered the hilltop. The odd passer-by would give her a look before wandering on, shamefully thinking the woman not quite all there. Thankfully, not many were up here. Most people were down at the fete.

After several minutes of silence, Kate felt hands on her shoulder, and she whirled around expecting the grey twins to have reappeared in the Doctor's absence. To her relief, it was just Bankes.

"What trick is this?!" She screeched, shaking Kate violently in a search for answers. "Tell me child! Is your husband seeking to punish me?!"

Kate pushed Bankes away as her wits returned, before guiltily helping the lady back up. She was most likely scared. Out of her time going by what the Doctor had said. But being shaken was not okay by Kate's standards. There were more reasonable ways to go about things.

"No tricks." Kate said, offering a friendly hand to the distressed woman. "This is the future. The siege is over, and has been for a good few centuries. And that man is not my husband. He's a friend trying to help."

"You lie!" Bankes insisted, now trying to caw at the smaller woman. "Parliamentarian traitors! Swine!"

One old woman stopped nearby, looking on curiously at the scene. In spite of the height difference and Bankes' terrified strength, Kate managed to push her back again and gain breathing space. Baths were obviously not commonplace in the Civil War.

"She's alright!" Kate called to the woman. "Just… just rehearsing for play she's in later… MacBeth!"

Whether or not she found the story plausible, the old woman toddled off down the trail. Bankes had ceased her attack, preferring to stand a comfortably angry distance from Kate, frowning angrily.

"Where has he gone?" She suddenly asked, finally appearing to come to terms with the future. "Your husband. Gone to alert the garrison?"

Kate began to wonder if this was normal for the Doctor. Was he always finding problems? Did they just find him? Maybe it was just a coincidence. The number of places they could have gone, and the TARDIS brought them to a mystery.

"He's not my husband. Why do you keep thinking that? She asked, glad the out-of-time woman had calmed down.

"There is no one else around. You are of an age. Unless you are engaging in unlawful activities, I see no other possible reason for your association." Bankes surmised, casting a wary glance at her.

"Nowadays, that stuff doesn't really matter." Kate answered, before backtracking. "I mean, adultery is not well received, don't think it ever was. But marriage just kind of happens now, and it doesn't really matter. Besides, I only met him yesterday… four years from now."

It struck Kate how silly she'd been. A random choice this morning had whisked her into the past, with a man she barely knew. He'd told her where he came from, that was about it. 'Doctor' was barely going to be his real name. And she had done it all because she wanted to know how he was going to battle this 'Valeyard' and make sure he lived. She owed him that much for fixing her.

"So you do not know where he has gone?" Bankes probed, breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen.

"Stepped under that arch and disappeared. Could be back any second. You never know with him." Kate mused. "He was almost killed when I met him. Twice."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of the future. How my castle looks does not better it." The Lady observed, before looking at Kate questioningly. "Did you say that arch?"

"Yes."

"Yes, _my lady_." She corrected, lifting her skirt to avoid gathering dirt as she marched over to said arch. "It was this threshold that I crossed before I arrived here."

"So this is the cause?" Kate asked no one in particular, following to take a closer look. "If it is, why would it bring you here and send the Doctor… wherever?"

"Because it's a door." The voice behind her made Kate jump.

Wheeling around, she found the grey twins had appeared again, looking as ill and gangly as ever. Their very presence made her nervous. It felt as if this wasn't right, they shouldn't be here of all places. She had idea of where there was, mind, but they scared her still.

Apparently they caught onto this.

"Relax, Miss Dennis, we mean you no harm." The lead twin said, offering what was obviously meant to be a reassuring smile but instead looked overwhelmingly despairing. "Our earlier question was out of curiosity rather than menace, please accept our sincerest apologies for frightening you."

The way they spoke did nothing to ease the fear.

"Who are you?" Kate asked, holding firmly onto the wall behind her.

"I know who they are! They are members of the garrison!" Bankes exclaimed, her fury returning. "How could you let Corfe fall like this?"

The second twin quirked his head at her in a shocking manner. His eyes blazed with indifference.

"We were never to protect your fortress." He said, the strangest rudeness in his voice. "We have never seen you before at all."

"We are Nivoli." The first continued. "We have come to help."

"We bring word from the Doctor." They both finished, their voices merging together.

The lead twin produced a letter from his pocket, bound in parchment and extremely aged. Kate took it from them carefully, partly to avoid contact with them, but mainly to keep the message from damage. It's out envelope read her name and the current date in an overly elaborate handwriting. Obviously the work of the Doctor.

"Where is he?" She asked, gently breaking the was seal while maintaining eye contact with the lead Nivoli.

"Right here, Miss Dennis. No," The second twin corrected. "relatively, he is on the gatehouse."

"He has, however, been unfortunate enough to swap places in time with Lady Bankes." The first supplied.

Upon hearing this, Kate tore the letter open and began to read.

_Dear Kate,_

_The TARDIS wasn't far wrong. I had originally meant to take us to Elizabethan England. Evidently, she brought us to 1645 instead and then she was confused by the arch._

_Unfortunately, I've wound up in the siege some three hundred and sixty five years ago. Rather me than you. It's strange how this happens. More than you'd expect. But I digress. I've got a losing battle to lead._

_Which brings me to this point. The Nivoli with you have agreed to bring you to me. I disrupted the flow of the time corridor under the arch so they'll be opening another one nearby. When you get here, it is vitally important you tell me to not trust Bryson. You also need to fill me in on the exact events of the siege. That's going to be important. There's a leaflet at the National Trust entrance which will do. _

_I won't know what's happened when you arrive (you're actually dictating this to me, mid-battle) so do not give away details. Don't let Lady Bankes get a leaflet either. Actually, you're going to have to let her get one, so I can take it off her when we meet. Time travel is confusing._

_See you later or earlier,_

_The Doctor. _

After this, Kate promised herself, she was not letting him out of her sight.

_1645_

"Sir!" Bingham called.

"Colonel!" The Doctor called back, as he finished taking stock of the enemy weapons. Around the gatehouse, the other men readied themselves for an attack.

"We have word from Colonel Pitman and Bryson!"

"Good! Can we stop shouting? It's making my throat ache."

"Don't you want to know the message?" One of the soldiers asked the Doctor, leaning in to be heard over the drums.

"Might as well." He agreed, turning to the Colonel expectantly.

"Sir." Bingham saluted, before unravelling a scroll. "Pitman is en route with one hundred men, Bryson a further two hundred."

The Doctor looked around the gatehouse, seeing the relief wash over them. Except for two in the corner. Some twins that had not said much but gave him an ill feeling. They didn't look right. No time to focus on that however.

"Very good." The Doctor said, looking through a narrow window as the Army. "And the garrison?"

"Reversing course to here as quickly as we speak." Bingham almost seemed proud.

The Doctor just focused on making sure everyone lived. And he was almost thankful reinforcements were on their way, that might just give them enough to be even. Maybe he could negotiate with the roundheads.

He also made a note to thank Pitman and Bryson.


	11. Of Corfe and Chaos (part 3)

**Again, lost track slightly with writing this. Got kind of held up towards the end of term, and couldn't find any inspiration. But with Christmas and **_**The Time of the Doctor**_** (my god, Matt!), I managed to find enough to complete this chapter and go through the plans some more.**

**This story's been a bit hit and miss. I didn't really have it completely sorted when I started writing, so my apologies for the looseness of this plot. Hopefully future ones will be better. And only two more instalments of Corfe, tops.**

**As always, the standard disclaimers. I do not own Doctor Who, I am not affiliated with the BBC, this is purely for fun.**

**Reviews and suggestions welcome.**

**Also, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Years to all!**

**Of Corfe and Chaos (part 3)**

No matter what she told herself, Kate was convinced something was not right about the Nivoli. It wasn't that they were detached, sinister or even just creepy. They just didn't seem to fit in in the world. Of course, they looked human, albeit sickly and on the cusp of death, but no one gave them a second glance.

Bankes, on the other hand, wouldn't stop drawing attention. Not only was she shrieking once again about the modern world, but her clothing made people believe she was a mascot for the fete, and was in character. Suffice to say, a crowd was now following them.

"Unhand me, peasants!" She shrieked when one person tried to get a picture with her.

"I'm really beginning to understand why the King was overthrown." Kate commented, to no one in particular. The crowd around her were too busy being outraged by the Lady's rudeness.

The Nivoli pair in front of her turned at the words, giving a bemused look before turning back. One raised their hand seemingly to flick some invisible bug before them.

With a shocking suddenness, the voices of the people around them silenced. As one, they all turned away from the four travellers and simply wandered back to the stalls as if nothing had happened. Each face was blank, vacant, until they reached they're previous occupations, whereupon the chatter continued, though without the four being noticed.

Kate stared at the crowd, before catching up with the Nivoli and Bankes, who had carried on, and asking: "Did you do that?"

One of the Nivoli, the one who had flicked the air, looked over his shoulder.

"Yes. They were impairing our progress." He said, casually.

They passed the TARDIS, which was now being used as shade by a group of teenagers. A couple with a dog stopped beside it, allowing the animal to relieve itself against the wooden corner. Kate wasn't sure how pleased the Doctor would be if he knew his home was being used for that.

"How did you do that?" She asked, increasing her pace again to keep up with the longer legged aliens and the purposeful march of Lady Bankes.

"Humans are very suggestible to greater minds. We could raise an army in minutes. We are Nivoli." The other one stated, stopping abruptly as they reached the entrance to the site. "I believe the Doctor told you to procure information."

His companion handed a leaflet to her, this time making light contact with her thumb as she took it. Kate recoiled, feeling like she had been stung. Then she felt the pain in her head, as if there was another presence, something that was not quite her. It swept across her, through her. She felt herself relive every moment of her life that she could remember. Her childhood. Her exams. Her first kiss. Then darker events, something that wasn't entirely complete. A whimsical dream she once had about an escape from a doomed place. Then the crash.

She gasped, and pushed those thoughts away. Fought them back to where they hid.

"Are you quite alright, Miss Dennis?" The Nivoli's voice cut through the shock. "If I did not know such things did not exist I would suggest you had witnessed a spirit."

"I must apologise." The other said. "Temporal resurgence is common with our touch."

"No- no. It's fine." Kate said, avoiding their gaze and pocketing the leaflet. She noticed Lady Bankes also hiding one. Obviously, the shouty woman was smarter than Kate had given her credit for. "Shall we go then?"

"Of course." One of the Nivoli agreed, turning to lead the way out to a section of wall nearer the steeper incline. "This is the correct spot."

The pair stared at the wall in silence, stock still as they appeared to focus on the bricks.

"I must insist, this is getting quite silly now!" Bankes cried, grabbing hold of Kate to direct an angry rant. "If you really think…"

"Lady Bankes, I understand that you are distressed, but you really are about to drive me mad." Kate interrupted, smacking her hand away. "Now be quiet, and any second you'll be back in your castle."

As she said this, the air in front of the Nivoli shimmered slightly, before stilling once again. The aliens both fell to their knees with pained expressions, for once suiting their ill atmosphere.

"The bridge is formed." One gasped, looking to Kate. "We leave you here. We must not cross our own paths."

With those words, they seemed to fade slightly. The grass and brick behind them could be seen, if distorted slightly by their ghostly presence.

"So we just walk towards the wall, and we'll be in the Siege?" She asked, taking a tentative step to the apparitions.

"Correct." He said through gritted teeth. "Go now, and find the Doctor."

If anymore was to be said, it was lost as the Nivoli vanished. In their place lay indents in the grass. Lady Bankes started shrieking again at that trick, only to be promptly silenced by Kate's hand over her mouth. It was just her now. Get through the army, take the Lady home, get the Doctor and get out. Hopefully it wouldn't be that difficult.

"Alright m'lady." Kate said as she gripped onto Bankes' forearm. "Let's get back."

Without really knowing why, she sprinted the short distance between her the point where the air had shimmered. She thought it would be one of those running things. Like trying to reach eighty-eight miles an hour in a DeLorean. Bankes was protesting to her speed, the dress dragging through the dry grass, becoming stained in all likelihood. 'Not my problem' Kate thought.

The remnants of the wall came ever closer, dangerously so until she felt slightly ill and the temperature dropped greatly. And she ran straight into the completed wall.

"Bad idea." Kate groaned, slumping against the bricks. Had it worked? Had she been transported back to 1645?

They were certainly not in the same time. The Castle in front of her proved that much. Unless the National Trust had rebuilt it in the future, this was definitely the past. The weather was also markedly different. It was cold and overcast. Too cold when only wearing a polo shirt.

"Is this the day you left?" Kate asked, looking to Bankes who was staring up at the Royal stronghold.

"My castle stands. I am not too late." She softly said, beginning to march up the incline.

Kate shot up after her. The hill was tough going, especially with the probable bruises they would both be wearing from the wall. It was just as unkempt here as it was in 2010, obviously still unused as a general path (quite possibly also owing to the fact lawnmowers were yet to be invented). As they reached the top, where the keep walls met the earth, they began skirting along it, Bankes leading the way.

"I sincerely hope Colonel Bingham is holding admirably." Bankes commented, coming to a bend.

"You and me both." Kate agreed.

The pair stopped as they rounded the corner, met with a discouraging sight. Before the gatehouse, and spreading out down the hill, stood the dreaded Parliament army. Hundreds of men stood ready, bayonets at the ready and small cannons standing amongst them. Some at the front were beating drums.

"This seems safe." Kate chirped, wondering how on earth they were meant to break through and reach the Doctor. "Is that the only entrance?"

"Of course it is child! What class do you belong to, not being aware of that fact?" Bankes spat back through gritted teeth.

"Alright. And you wonder why parliament isn't fond of the nobility."

Without warning, a rope dropped down between them. It made Kate jump in alarm before she looked up to find a familiar face looking down.

The Doctor waggled his end of the rope, signifying for them to climb. Bankes huffed indignantly, but grabbed hold of the line and tied it around herself. He didn't look happy at that as he began pulling with all his might. Lady Bankes slowly ascended, taking several minutes to disappear over the edge of the building. When it came to Kate, she simply pulled herself up with minimal assistance.

Reaching the top, the Doctor took her hand and helped her over the battlements with a surprised urgency. He was even more shocked when wordlessly pulled him into a hug.

"How did you know where to find us?" kate asked, feeling him reluctantly return the greeting.

"You think my fantastic senses can't pick up on a tear in reality?" He rhetorically returned. "I came running to the closest point when I felt it, luckily before you walked into an opposing army."

"When you say this happens a lot…" She began, thankful to be back with someone she could trust.

"Falling through a Time Corridor? Hasn't been the worst." He said, extracting himself from her arms. "I would've made it back one way or another. It's only four hundred years."

"You're my ride home." She reminded him. "I ran off with you this morning, and I thought I was going to get stuck in the past. No idea how I would explain that to my mum."

He began leading her down through the keep, heading towards the gatehouse which was the only protection from the outside army.

"Well, no worries now. I mean, we're the wrong side of four centuries from the TARDIS, and I have no idea what's meant to happen today, but otherwise we're fine." He said sarcastically. "That will be more difficult to explain to your mum."

"You don't know Civil War England?" Kate chided, as he opened the wooden door.

"Not really the most interesting area, especially not a small event like this. I focus more on the big things, like the King's execution." The Doctor explained, pausing just out of sight of the garrison, who were now being ordered about by Lady Bankes.

"Well then, thank god I brought you this." She said, holding up the leaflet to him.

He looked shocked at her for a moment, before gripping her into his own bear hug.

"Kate Dennis, brilliant!" He spun her around before taking it, flicking through the contents in a matter of seconds. "I never would have thought of that. I've been using guesswork."

"You must have thought of it, you told me." Kate questioned, trying to fill her lungs with air to replace what she lost while being crushed.

"No I didn't." He returned, beginning to look bemused by the leaflet and flicking through it a second time. "That's not right. It's changing."

"Bad?" She asked, not really needing an answer.

"Little bit. You're world will change. It could be very slight, it could be massive. I can't tell yet." He explained. "And how did you know to get this?"

"You told me to get one in that letter." She said, pulling the parchment out of her pocket. "And to let Lady Bankes get one as well so you could take it off her."

As she read back through it, she realised, to her embarrassment, she hadn't been concentrating the first time. This letter hadn't been written yet, the Doctor didn't know what was happening.

"Bankes has a leaflet?" He said quietly, before darting into the main area of the gatehouse to join the others.

Sure enough, Bankes was reading from the leaflet she had pocketed in 2010, looking grim. The Doctor quickly snatched it from her hands before tearing it to shreds, along with his own. Kate, following, realised he was completing his future instructions.

"No sneak peeks!" The Doctor cried, looking out of the narrow window to eye the waiting army. "You're part of events, you've just fixed it."

"I am protecting my castle!" Bankes yelled back. Several weapons were raised towards the Doctor at her words, all except a pair in the corner.

"And I am protecting the world!" He said back, only raising his hands reluctantly. "Whatever you read is now permanent."

"Then our victory is assured." She calmly stated.

Bingham stepped forward from his post on watch.

"My Lady, Bryson's forces have arrived." He reported, allowing Bankes the space to look out of the window. "The Parliament forces have been engaged."

The Doctor pushed past others who had turned to see the news, a grim look on his face.

"No. This is all wrong." He whispered as Kate neared. "We're meant to lose."

"So what's happening?" She whispered back, beginning to feel slightly nauseous."

"Corfe is in ruins in 2010, it's been slighted at some point." He said, watching with horror as men were shot down. "Time is fluid. People think it's all done, decided, but our presence will cause small ripples. Normally it's fine. I can feel when I'm able to interfere. But every fixed point is made up of lots of these fluxing points. And some fluxing points are more important than others. Whatever the outcome of this, it will have a massive effect on the end of the Civil War. And that will change the world you know in 2014."

Out on the fields, soldiers fell left and right. One man stood apart, somehow avoiding all fire, whether targeted or stray. Obviously the leader of this arriving force.

The Doctor pulled Kate away from the window, holding her head between his hands to stare at her face.

"I've been trying to maintain the natural events, but the ripples are greater. Your memories will change. Tell me, how do you feel?" He said, looking terribly worried for someone he met yesterday.

"Uh… Slightly ill?" Kate answered, unsure of where this greater sickness had come from.

"Then it's starting." He looked upset at that, as if his inability to maintain history physically hurt him. "We have to fix this."

"You do." A new, familiar voice said. "Doctor. Kate. You can mend it."

The pair turned to find two soldiers beside them. They were the same soldiers who had not raised their weapons with the others, nor seemed particularly interested in the battle. The same gaze was cast over them from both faces, as these twins were synchronous with their expressions. Twins. The same twins that had brought Kate back to the Doctor.

The Nivoli. Of course.


	12. Of Corfe and Chaos (part 4)

**Here we are. Second to last part of '**_**Of Corfe and Chaos'**_**. A pretty bad story from what I thought was a promising idea. **

**Anyhoo, might as well finish it and get on with the Doctor and Kate's adventures. Speaking of which, I have begun a collaboration with another Doctor Who writer. Exciting stuff, a co-story coming to a Fanfiction page near you soon. **

**So without much more waffling, I present to you:**

**Of Corfe and Chaos (part 4)**

"Run this by me again. What's happening?" Kate asked, trying to shake off the ill feeling ebbing on her senses.

"It's all a Nivoli trick." The Doctor repeated. The twins, who had brought Kate and Bankes back to 1645 and were now masquerading as members of the garrison, had telepathically communicated all their information to them before returning to battle. Kate, however, was having some trouble processing the information.

"Okay, but how exactly?"

They were running back to the archway, the one the Doctor had passed through in the first place, for a reason neither of them were entirely sure about. All they knew was that an answer would be found there.

"The Nivoli come from a region of space that is independent from regular physics." He began, pausing just beside the arch. "As such, they're not bound by the limitations we have. They could pass through history with ease in their 'realm', and can obviously manipulate reality to some extent here. These abilities made some races terrified of the implications, what if the Nivoli changed their history? What if they erased them? Of course, the Nivoli wouldn't do that, they're not interested in normal reality."

"But they're doing it now, I can feel it happening." Kate contributed, leaning heavily, shutting her eyes to block out the dull loght from the sky.

"Something's got their interest. Something to do with Earth. My people sealed them away in their pocket ages ago, mutual agreement before you wonder. So why have they broken through? Why are they changing this?" The Doctor racked his brains, before looking at the arch.

"Do you know the answer, or are you just generally asking?" Kate asked, wondering what it was seeing in the stone entrance.

"I don't know. They told me, but it's lost in the rest of the information. Their mind powers need some work." He took a step towards the arch. "Kate, I'll be back in a minute."

Before she could question or protest, he dodged under the arch, once again vanishing.

This trip was different. Last time, the vortex energies he'd picked up over the years had destabilised the corridor, reversing its flow and then shutting. Something had come back to reopen the same corridor, but to a different location.

The Doctor found himself in the depths of space. Or what would be thought of as space. Nivoli Space. The inky purple, nebula like pocket reality was fraught with temporal cracks. He could feel all of them, see all of them. But something was more pressing, there was some bigger problem for him other than the stable cracks.

He twisted around in an effort to see behind him. There must be a reason why he had been sent here. The reason why they were coming through.

And there it was. It was in view. On the edge of their realm. An Empirical fleet about to make their way through the pocket reality.

In the absence of the Time Lords, this part of space must have reopened. That explained how the Nivoli came back. And now colonisers were passing through their territory, from Earth. Threads were beginning to come together, it was beginning to make sense. The Nivoli felt threatened.

_Earth_

The Doctor burst back through the arch, falling to the ground as he gasped for air. Kate stood over him, trying to help him as he began out expletives.

"It's a reactionary force!" He cried, looking up with a grin. "Their acting pre-emptively!"

"Great!" Kate responded. "Why?"

He got back to his feet, listening out for the battle. No further advance into the castle, and time was running out. They had to end this soon.

"Because you humans need lebensraum! Space to live in." He explained. "In the future, the Human Empire is expanding, you guys are running off into the universe and multiplying like rabbits!"

"They want to be rid of us because we're overpopulating?"

"No, no. There's plenty of planets out there. And by that time, terraforming has been perfected. But it's the path the colonists are taking. You're heading through their space and they think they're in danger."

Kate could see why they wanted to stop the Human's going through their space. She assumed they were similar in a sense to North Korea. Isolationists who liked uninvaded airspace.

"So why did they come here? Why didn't they chat to the Earth Empire and 'Hey, you guys are a bit close for comfort, could you possible turn left and go around us?'" She asked, not completely grasping their current presence.

"Because they're reacting the only way they know how. By averting the entire event. This must be one of the loosest points in history that they can enter. If Corfe Castle changes, then the outcome of the war changes. England changes, the British Empire changes, soon you have enough ripples to get rid of the Earth Empire." The Doctor was thinking more than explaining now. "Of course! Bryson is a Nivoli. He must have been trying to get rid of Lady Bankes, who led a strong defence but failed. He could step in, use those mind powers to raise an army and convince them to fight back. The crown will win."

"Which is bad?" Kate asked, now doubling over in discomfort.

"You're feeling ill. Pretty soon your memories will edit, and you'll fade. We need to stop Bryson." He was thinking frantically now.

"How do we do that?"

"I don't know."

"Brilliant." She sat down, ready to heave as she said this. Her memories were changing. Her childhood being wiped away like pencil markings of paper. The world as she knew it.

"Stay still and focus on… focus on how we met. Yesterday. Four hundred years in the future yesterday. Remember the Ursaform." He said, helping her lean back comfortably. His coat was soon draped over her shoulders as she began shivering. "I've got to go stop Bryson. Keep focusing on strong memories, anything with an emotion attached to it. I'll fix this."

The Gatehouse swung open as members of the defence rode in. Shots were fired back out of the castle, towards the waning Parliamentarian force. At the head was the leader, Bryson, just as sickly pale and skeletal as the twins. Bankes raced forward to meet him, although she quickly changed her mind and ran to the tower to her children. Obviously he wanted a clear path.

The Doctor in turn ran straight into the Nivoli leader. He was knocked off balance with the Time Lord, and for the briefest of moments, the coordination of the reinforcements was lost. They became disorganised, losing some to stray shots before becoming refocused on the battle.

"As the last representative of Gallifrey, I demand you halt this now and undo the damage." The Doctor ordered, promptly being thrown off Bryson.

"As the protector of my realm, I request you stop interfering!" Bryson countered. A group of men surrounded them, weapons trained on the newcomer.

"You'll ruin the timeline when it's not worth it!" The Doctor insisted. "Your realm isn't under threat! The ships are harmless! You can tell them to divert course!"

"It is too late, Doctor! The universe shall have to go one without your precious Human influence. I cannot change anything back."

The Doctor ran out of the chain, clapping one soldier around the ear so he twisted and shot another by mistake. Other soldiers were swarming in now, heading to the walls to make a proper defence. Men on both sides fell as cannons started firing upon the stronghold, walls chipping away and shattering. History would try to reassert itself, but it was becoming too weak.

Huddled over by the entrance to the tower, Kate was largely ignored. Royalists rushed past her, barely taking notice as they fired on Parliamentarians. Her head was pounding, a cold sweat coated her. She dug her fingers into the Doctor's coat, holding onto the real world as the one in her head changed. Focusing on the Ursaform's attack wasn't stopping other memories from warping. She was being lost to the 'ripples'. In desperation, she thought of any major event where she felt strong emotions from the mere memories. Her graduation, her Prom, her hospital recovery. The crash!

Focus on the fear and uncertainty of survival, the pain that still ghosted in her healed leg. The immense sadness as her father was torn away from her. The injustice when the driver of the other vehicle was never caught. That isolation and loneliness she imposed on herself afterwards.

But still they changed, the echoes remaining intact bit the details swapping. It was pointless. She couldn't beat it.

Then the sickness went away. The warping stopped and receded, taking the changed memories with it. Her life was the one she lived again. And there was that horrible grip on her arm. The grip of…

"Miss Dennis, are you with us?" One of the Nivoli twins asked.

"Yes. Yes, I am. What's happening?" She asked, her throat dry.

"The changes are still happening. Bryson is likely to win." The other twin relayed. He stood slightly to the side, keeping watch.

"We are preventing the temporal scarring from effecting you. You should be feeling well." The first offered, not releasing his grip.

"Is the Doctor able to stop it? What's he doing?" Kate asked, trying to look around.

"He is currently piggybacking a soldier and distracting a firing squad." The far twin reported. "At this rate, he will be unable to facilitate any kind of reversal."

"Is there anything he can do?" She asked again, trying to find anything helpful.

"Short of using his TARDIS to avert the colonist's course, no. And he will be unable to make use of this as the future where his TARDIS is will not exist."

"So it's all pointless?"

"Seemingly so." The first twin answered. "The irony of the matter is this did not need to happen. The ships cause no damage to our realm."

"It's not very helpful now though." Kate reminded him. "Bryson just wanted to have a little battle did he? Get rid of a minor annoyance?"

"Yes."

"Well whoop-de-doo. Did you try convincing him of this?"

"We did, extensively." The far twin commented, dodging a stray bullet. "He was only convinced it would one day pose a threat. The Continuum only agreed begrudgingly. That is why we sought you out."

"Thanks for that, now your Bryson is making me feel as sick as you look-…"

A thought suddenly hit Kate. Back in 2010, when these very twins opened the corridor, they fell ill and vanished. They were weakened by the rift. It had hurt them.

"Guys, when you sent me and Bankes here, did the corridor weaken you?" She asked, testing her theory.

"Of course." The far twin said, as if obvious. "To send corporeal beings through the vortex majorly depletes our life force. We were forced to return to the Realm to support your crossing."

"So when Bankes and the Doctor crossed under the arch?"

"They weakened the one who opened that corridor. Bryson would have been halted in his effort to raise the army." The first twin supplied.

"And when it lead the Doctor to your Realm?"

"We had changed the destination, but the corridor was still supported by Bryson."

From this, Kate surmised her theory was correct. The fatal flaw of the Nivoli was their greatest strength, time manipulation.

"If I were to lead several people through the corridor, would it be enough to stop Bryson?" She asked, hoping to be correct.

"Bryson would be weakened enough to remove his presence. The corridor would shut across time, none of this would occur." The first twin answered, earning a smile from Kate. "But it is risky. There is no insurance he would not come back and try again."

"If I close the corridor, could you hold him your realm long enough for the colonists to pass through?" Kate queried, seeing a chance present itself. If all they agreed, it would be perfect.

"We would try. But Bryson is a much stronger force than us." The far twin said. "And without our presence, you will be weakened by the timelines."

"It's good enough. Do it." Kate ordered, feeling unnaturally forceful as she leapt up wearing the Doctor's coat.

Finding a nearby lump of stone, she lobbed it at a nearing Bryson, still in pursuit of the Doctor. The Doctor himself was now somehow riding a horse, weaving between groups of soldiers to distract them from the fight.

Bryson turned in annoyed rage, waving his hand to dispatch several armed soldiers to her destination. A good sized group, and he must overestimate her was a thought that ran through her mind as she staggered off, ill without the Nivoli presence.

The group was gaining on her, she could see the face of Colonel Bingham as he closed in. But she was too close to the rift now, ready to deliver a winning move.

Just as she was about to cross under the arch, a hand grabbed hold of her again, halting her illness but shocking her as one of the Nivoli stared earnestly at her.

"The Alchemist." He whispered. "Avoid the Alchemist."

The Nivoli vanished, and she fell through the arch as the group was nearly upon her. All followed her through as the ones in front of them vanished.

Kate felt the dizziness as the world changed around her. The cold, dreary battle ground of Corfe Castle was switched with a purple nebula in deep space. Air was sucked from her lungs as she spotted a fleet of spaceships on the edge of normal space. Royalist soldiers spilled out in the vacuum behind her, but they faded as the corridor sealed behind them.

Bryson was weakened, returning to the realm.

The first ship entered the expanse of purple space, and then Kate was blinded by nothing.

**AN: Happy New Year, forgot that.**


	13. Of Corfe and Chaos (part 5)

**At last, the final part of this story. Murdered that idea, but I can finally move on to better ideas which are harder to ruin. Although it is possible I will…**

**Anyway, there may be more frequent updates in the run up to the awaited collaborated story. I'm certainly looking forward to it and I hope any readers will enjoy what is to come.**

**Standard disclaimers apply (as always), and if you want to, please leave a review (even if you just want to complain about how bad this was, I understand).**

**Of Corfe and Chaos (part 5)**

The Doctor looked around, surprised to find himself bathed in sunlight, leaning quite happily on the ruins of Corfe Castle. He could have sworn he'd been riding a horse a moment ago, on a cool, cloudy battlefield. In fact, he was very certain he had been riding a horse. That had definitely happened.

Kate sat beside him, looking equally as surprised. She span around to see the castle as it had been in 2010. This was 2010. They both realised they were back where they had been shortly before meeting Lady Bankes.

"Did any of that really just happen?" Kate asked, turning to the Doctor for answers. "Or have I just had the strangest hallucination?"

"It definitely happened." He replied, watching the arch. No crowd was gathering around it. "And it also didn't."

"Does anything ever make sense with you?" She questioned, smiling as she realised her plan had worked.

"I live in a box that's bigger on the inside. What do you think?"

The pair of the, got up from the wall, retracing their steps to the arch. It stood there in quiet glory, a testament to the Castle and its survival to the present. To think it had been the site of an alien incursion seemed insane now. That stone doorway really was just a stone doorway to a long gone memory.

"Do you know what happened?" The Doctor asked her after a few moments of contemplation. "Because I was just trying to get in people's way. If I got in their way, history may have been able to reassert itself. A very unlikely plan to work. So what did you do?"

Kate smiled, before filling him in on her journey to 1645, the weakness of the Nivoli and how she used that.

"… he sent a unit after me because I got some dust on his jacket. I lead them into the corridor to overpower him, and the Nivoli twins held him in their realm until the ships passed through." She concluded, earning a warm smile from the Time Lord. Then it hit her. "Oh my lord! I was in Space!"

"Yes, you were. One small step for Kate, several light years journey." He commented, turning and beginning a descent down the hillside. "Never would have thought of that. Although I was never really aware that crossing through their Time Corridors weakened them. Suppose it makes sense now."

"How?" Kate asked, following him with much excited energy. She'd succeeded. The day was safe..

The fete still went on at the base of the hill. All those people still flitted between the stalls looking at things they didn't really need and stuff they'd never really look at twice. It was hard to imagine that all this had been threatened by a siege some four hundred years ago. Of course, that was history. The world today all depended on the world yesterday, and the day before that.

"When I fell through, they were all waiting for Colonel Bryson to arrive. My greater complexity in regards to time travel must have set him back." He explained, heading towards the TARDIS, which still stood where they left it. A couple with their dog passed beside it, pausing briefly to let the pet lift a hind leg against it. The Doctor quickly shooed them away.

"Are you sure that's what happened?" Kate asked as they entered the TARDIS. "Are you sure he just wasn't waiting for the right moment?"

The console room lit up upon their arrival, cogs ticking away happily in their roundels and a comforting engine warble sounding from the controls.

"Probably not, but I like to think I helped." He admitted, pulling a few levers to ready the ship. Or Kate assumed that's what he was doing.

"Actually that's a point." She suddenly said. "We were meant to write a letter to me, the past me, to give instructions to you. What happened if we didn't do it?"

The Doctor shrugged. "That entire timeline was averted. So it was never needed. We don't need to maintain the paradox since it never happened. I don't think I was given the full instructions anyway."

"But, that timeline never happened, yet I can still remember it happening." Kate continued. "And not just like a dream. I remember it happening exactly like I remember meeting you yesterday."

"That's because it still happened, and it still didn't."

"And that's just generally what you do? You turn up at places in trouble and sort it all out?"

"It's a weekly thing. Generally. Hard to tell in a time machine." He said, twisting the screen on its giant cog to watch something. "Yesterday we defeated an Androgum working for the Black Market. Today we defeated a Nivoli on a pre-emptive strike. So I may get a fortnight off."

"And do we do- do you do now?" Kate wondered what would happen after their trip. Would he drop her off back on earth and go gallivanting back to the stars? Meet his 'destiny' with the Valeyard? Would she go back to her life, with an inexplicably mended leg and dinner with May tonight?

"That depends, what do you want to do?" He answered, looking at her with the slightest tinge of hope in his eyes. "I mean, if you want to get back?"

"I don't know if I want to get back. Just yet." She admitted, staring back at him across the console.

"Well, do you want to stay?"

"I don't know."

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow at her indecisiveness. He understood, of course. Seeing everything but with danger always just around the corner or stay at home knowing you could have seen all that. It was never a fair choice when he presented it.

"There's always plenty of room." He offered, nodding to the doorways on the upper level. "And I can drop you back when you want."

Kate thought about this. He obviously didn't want her to go, and neither did she, but there was still everyone at home. Her Mum. Liz. Her friends.

No, she had promised herself she would help the Doctor. Help him escape war. That was the deal.

"I'd like that." She said, smiling as she confirmed it to herself. "Let's go travelling."

The Doctor beamed back, beginning to manipulate the controls. Inputting coordinates, getting the gears right, making sure he left the handbrake on for that wonderful noise.

"But can we visit my Mum? Just once in a while." Kate asked, moving to stand beside him. "Let her know I'm okay out here."

"Of course. Whenever you want to." He promised, taking her hand and leading her to the upper level. "Now, you may want to go find a bedroom. There are plenty out there. Keep walking and you'll find one eventually. Then again, you may find rooms I lost ages ago. There are at least three tennis courts somewhere."

Kate smiled at him, this mad magician. She wondered if he was joking about the tennis courts. Surely it wasn't _that_ big in here.

"Thank you." She said, pulling him into a hug before wandering off down one of the corridors through the structure.

"Thank you." He repeated, before heading back down to the console.

Once he was sure she was gone, he looked at the screen again to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. They definitely weren't. The TARDIS checked and checked again, posting the same result every time. A result that shouldn't have been there.

**-Danger-**

**-Class One Lifeform-**

It was an old classification system, but it still got the scope of the message across. There were Class Ones out there, somewhere. They could be across the universe or around the corner. Even one had dire implications. For him and reality.

"I'll come back to that." The Doctor said to himself, flicking the notification into the corner of the screen.

Without looking further at the screen, he dashed around, released the flight control and bathed himself in the grinding of the TARDIS. The noise filled the room as they departed Corfe Castle.

**To be continued in '**_**Faces'**_


	14. Faces (prologue)

**At last, a new story. Glad the other one is finally over. This one, I hope, will be much better. Better be, with the inclusion of some familiar characters for this one.**

**Hope you enjoy! (Still don't own Doctor Who.)**

**Faces (Prologue)**

The alarms only began blaring after he knew of the threat. Sluggish, wailing tones rang out across the station, alerting the crew to a major malfunction in the systems. Each module began bustling about, ready at their stations on the slight off chance the error was localised to them. Standard procedure and all that.

Commander Aaron McCobb hurried across links and through the structures to reach the Operations Post. The wraith-like android workforce stood at attention, every alcove filled and awaiting instructions. All humans were at the controls, finding the source of the problem. A nervous silence was cast over the room, as the main screen above read out;

_Systems Failure Imminent._

"What is it?" McCobb demanded, focusing on Lisa Gapur, his second-in-command.

"From what we can tell, it's a virus." She reported disbelievingly. No such thing happened on this satellite.

"How did it get past the Firewalls?" He continued, leaning over her to read the incoming data. The computer protection was near impenetrable, adapting to each new malicious program it encountered. This was not the issue he had imagined.

"We don't know. It just… appeared." Lisa replied, scanning through the corrupted files. "It's in the data banks, Section thirty-two-F. Shall I quarantine that area, sir?"

"Yes, of course! Then delete the contents!" McCobb commanded, making several people jump into action around him. Hundreds of years could be lost in that data bank, but the alternative losing all the records to an unidentified virus was not an option. There was too much to lose for it to be worth it.

"Section deleted, sir!" Lisa shouted, despite his proximity. "Shall I send for replacement files?"

McCobb straightened up, smoothing out his uniform before turning away. "You better had. No point in being the 'Complete Archive' if we're missing a few articles. Continue, reactive the Androids."

He made to leave, with the alarm silencing and Operations returning to peace. All messages of imminent danger from the mainframe had been rescinded. The androids stepped out of their alcoves, ready to begin further maintenance. The usual day for the Commanding Officer of a Neo-Colonial Mega-Archive. When viruses didn't penetrate the firewalls, which had been the majority of days here, it was better.

"Sir!" Another technician, a young man by the name of Grobber, called. "Data corruption in twenty-seven-K! All files infected!"

"Well shut it off!" McCobb called back, turning on the Grobber. He was getting too old for even this job. No one thought for themselves here, all too young and inexperienced. Lex would have been a much better commander for the station, but he was not meant for this world, apparently.

"I'm trying sir! The isolation software is not responding!"

McCobb was startled by that news. He wasn't a techie himself, but he knew if the isolation software was out, and a virus was inside the database, all hell was close to breaking lose.

"Which files?" He demanded, marching his way across the deck. Looking up at the main screen, he was sickened by the lack of warning message present. "Why aren't we being notified?"

"Viewer has been rendered offline." Lisa explained quietly, beginning to see the failure around her.

All the androids had stopped.

"Which files?!" McCobb repeated, becoming irate at the worsening situation.

"Sir." Grobber whispered, barely audible. "Designs for the station have been corrupted by the virus. Now spreading to twenty-seven-L, M, N, Q."

"Sir!" Martinez yelled. "Life support and station subroutines are being accessed!"

Everyone turned to him unexpectedly, waiting for any command on how to fix the problem. But they were the technicians, not him. He was simply the posted officer, the Imperial liaison. He knew nothing about the inner workings of the machines that crowded their daily lives.

"Any ideas? Anyone?" He asked hopefully, knowing that if life support was fully corrupted, it was a lost battle.

Lisa stood up, her confidence setting her out from the rest rather than her extraordinary height. She could be the one to save them all.

"If we restart the systems, the virus will halt. All systems will be replaced with the saved, basic versions." She suggested. It was the best and so far only idea offered.

"Turn it off!" McCobb hollered immediately. "Turn everything off, bring it down to emergency power then restart!"

Around him, all personnel began typing furiously at the computers in front of them. The lights began to die, red emergency illumination replacing it slowly. Eerie shadows elongated across the sloping walls, mingling with the dark androids that stood frozen near the alcoves. Vibrations emanating from the engines became weaker. And the station stopped.

The typing continued, still. On emergency power, only a handful of the monitors still functioned and it became paramount for their users to restore the power. Minutes passed, the stretching silence broken by the rapid key jamming, stressing all who listened to the frantic, uncoordinated symphony of sudden desperation.

After a few minutes more, the overhead bulbs burst out with light, sights returning to the crew as they blinked away the blindness. The hum resumed. Still the androids stood motionless, forgotten.

"All systems secure." Grobber reported, his words met with a collective sigh of relief.

"Do we know what it was?" McCobb asked, relaxing his stiffened body.

"No sir."

"Yes." droned a grating, deep voice.

The personnel turned in shock to the source. Against the wall, several of the androids still stood frozen. Some were in midstep, feet dangling off the ground just low enough to maintain a prolonged balance. Others had toppled over. But one Android stood ahead of the others, it's slim structure rigid, staring straight ahead.

"I beg your pardon?" McCobb questioned, taking a step towards the Android.

"Virus identified." It clarified, continuing to fix its gaze directly ahead.

Murmurs broke out among the people, whispers flying with the surprise of an Android returning to animation without authorisation.

"Well? What was it?" The Commander asked, jumping in shock as the android sharply turned its 'face' towards him.

"Scans complete. Wire Virus inserted. All files corrupted. All systems corrupted. Data accessible." The slow, grating voice rang out to a newly quiet room.

"Must be faulty." Grobber contributed, stepping forward to look at the Android. "Those reports are wrong."

"All reports valid." The contradicting voice said back. "All systems functional."

Behind it all the upright Androids stepped back into place as one, before advancing on the personnel. The usually docile looks were now marred by a change in the eyes. They now glowed. Red.

"Primary Programming asserted. All units deployed. Primary purpose to be enacted." The leader reported, taking a step towards Grobber.

"Removing viruses? Good. Get on with it." He said, staring down at the machine.

"Affirmative." The Android said, before jabbing forwards and releasing a fatal burst of electricity.

McCobb couldn't help but watch as the young technician dropped to the floor, dead. He couldn't help but watch as the other units began an advance. He was certainly watching the executions of the Lisa, Martinez and the other personnel before one turned on him.


End file.
